Tensions between the Trump administration and the media have escalated further as major U.S. television networks declined to broadcast President Trump's national address live, according to reports by AP and Reuters on July 16 (local time).

According to the reports, among the three major terrestrial networks, ABC and NBC, along with the news channel CNN, did not air the President's speech live on television, which took place at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on July 16 (10:00 a.m. KST on July 17).

ABC and NBC maintained their regular programming, including a quiz show and a wildlife program, respectively, while providing only partial, intermittent coverage of the speech.

CNN continued its regular program hosted by anchor Kaitlan Collins.

Instead, these networks streamed the speech live through their own digital platforms or mobile websites, which have relatively lower public accessibility.

CBS, one of the three major terrestrial networks, began its live broadcast several minutes after the speech had already started.

It is a long-standing custom in the U.S. broadcasting industry for major networks to simultaneously air presidential prime-time speeches that contain significant policy announcements or messages to the nation.

Pro-Trump networks, including Fox, aired the speech live.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized the importance of the speech during an earlier briefing, stating, "Networks should air it, and the American people should watch it," but her request went unheeded.

President Trump hinted at retaliation.

During the speech, he took aim at the networks that were not airing it live, saying, "They use billions of dollars worth of public airwaves for free, yet they do not report honestly," and added, "Their broadcast licenses should be revoked."

Media experts noted that under the First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of speech, networks have the right to decide for themselves what to broadcast. They analyzed that this situation is intertwined with the ongoing struggles between the current Trump administration and the networks.

Disney, the parent company of ABC, is currently under investigation by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) regarding potential violations of broadcast regulations by its daytime talk show, The View.

It is reported that the FCC could begin the process of revoking the broadcast licenses of eight ABC stations owned by Disney as early as next month.

The FCC is also investigating the diversity policies of NBC and its parent company, Comcast.

In his speech that day, President Trump claimed that evidence has emerged showing extensive Chinese interference in the 2020 U.S. presidential election, in which he failed to win re-election, intended to influence the outcome.

Prior to the speech, some Democratic figures, including Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had urged networks not to air the speech live, citing the possibility that President Trump would repeat false claims.