As President Donald Trump's lead in key battleground states narrowed on Thursday night following predictions from Joe Biden's campaign that the race will soon be called for the Democrat, the president delivered a lie-filled speech from the White House, prompting major networks to cut away and fact-check his remarks about the election.
In his first public remarks--besides posts on Twitter--since falsely declaring victory early Wednesday, Trump yet again baselessly attacked the security of mailed ballots, made unsubstantiated allegations about efforts to "steal" the election, suggested pre-election polls lead to voter suppression, and lied about winning various states.
"I've read or watched all of Trump's speeches since 2016. This is the most dishonest speech he has ever given," tweeted journalist Daniel Dale, who has gained national notoriety for fact-checking the president throughout his first--and possibly last and only--term in office.
"This is all anti-democratic trash," said Dale, who called out Trump's dishonesty during the address. "This is just an absolutely appalling and anti-democratic series of lies."
In an apparent reference to Trump's speech, Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)--who won reelection Tuesday as part of the expanded Squad--tweeted: "Pathetic, simply painful to watch."
New York Times media reporter Michael Grynbaum noted that major news networks cut away from the president to give viewers accurate information on the election:
The Daily Beastsummarized:
The president's address on Thursday evening was largely a recitation of every grievance and conspiracy theory that he has aired, in some form, since he first declared his candidacy for the presidency five years ago. He railed against Democrats, the media, pollsters, technology companies, and officials in cities around the country that have overwhelmingly backed his political opponents.
[...]
Though the text of his remarks were designed to convey triumphalism, Trump's demeanor, and the subtext of his comments, conveyed an understanding that all indications point to him being a one-term president. In the process of trying to delegitimize the election results, he acknowledged that Biden could or even would go ahead in several states where he is trailing. And he practically pleaded with the courts to intervene in response to the "tremendous amount of litigation" that his campaign is pursuing.
As Times reporter Adam Nagourney put it: "Trump's remarks had a farewell tone to them as he listed all the obstacles that he is blaming for any loss. The downbeat contrast from his election night tone was startling."
The Times had Trump with 214 electoral votes compared with Biden's 253, as of press time. The newspaper, along with many other outlets, hasn't yet called the race in Alaska, Arizona, Georgia, Pennsylvania, Nevada, and North Carolina. However, both Fox News and the Associated Press have already called Arizona--which has 11 electoral votes--for Biden.
