ABC, CBS, and NBC did not air President Joe Biden’s primetime address on Thursday evening where he claimed “MAGA Republicans” are a threat to America’s democracy.
Instead of covering Biden’s address, the top broadcast networks stuck with their regularly scheduled programming. ABC Aired Press Your Luck while Biden spoke, CBS ran a Young Sheldon rerun, and NBC played a Law & Order rerun.
Social media users, some of whom did not know Biden had a primetime address, noted the president was also competing with college football.
“Why is Biden addressing the nation on a the first night college football is, like, *back* back? I had plenty of time for the soul of the nation in my entertainment consumption schedule on Monday – Wednesday night this week,” one user tweeted.
“College Football > Biden calling me names,” another user joked.
One user remarked she “had no idea this is happening right now,” in response to a tweet about broadcast networks ignoring Biden’s speech.
The Washington Examiner reported even local programming in the nation’s capital ignored Biden’s speech in favor of college football or their regular television schedule.
Unsurprisingly, leftists were upset with the networks’ decision to pass on Biden’s speech, calling the decision “disgusting” and accusing them of being complicit in the alleged death of democracy.
Although major broadcast networks passed on airing Biden’s speech, MSNBC and CNN carried it. Fox News stuck with Tucker Carlson Tonight, where Carlson criticized the speech as it occurred.
During Biden’s speech, which took place at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, he was flanked by two U.S. Marines and drowned in ambient red lighting. Although he called on Americans to “unite,” the speech focused on attacking President Donald Trump and his supporters.
“We must be honest with each other and with ourselves: Too much of what’s happening in our country today is not normal,” Biden told his crowd of invited guests. “Donald Trump and the MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundations of our republic.”
Protesters also interrupted Biden’s speech multiple times with chants of “fuck Joe Biden.”