MSNBC will generally not air remarks or speeches by former President Donald Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate, as they happen, network anchor Rachel Maddow said Monday night.
Trump won the Iowa caucuses, the first contest of the GOP presidential primary, on Monday with more than 50% of the vote. He beat his next closest competitor, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, by a roughly 30-point margin.
As Trump delivered his victory speech in Iowa, Maddow told viewers of the left-of-center network that it would not air Trump’s remarks live over concerns of broadcasting “untrue things.”
“At this point in the evening, the projected winner of the Iowa caucuses has just started giving his victory speech. We will keep an eye on that as it happens. We will let you know if there’s any news made in that speech, if there’s anything noteworthy, something substantive and important,” Maddow said. “Of course, there is a reason we and other news organizations have generally stopped giving an unfiltered, live platform to remarks by former President Trump. And it is not out of spite. It is not a decision that we relish. It is a decision that we regularly revisit.”
“Honestly, it is not an easy decision, but there is a cost to us as a news organization knowingly broadcasting untrue things,” Maddow continued. “That is a fundamental truth of our business and who we are. And so his remarks tonight will not air here live. We’ll monitor them and let you know of any news that he makes.”
MSNBC host @maddow says NBC and other mainstream news networks have decided not to show Trump’s victory speech. CNN had him on briefly but then cut away and replaced him with @jaketapper who says “caucus goers believe the lie.” pic.twitter.com/dnUHEB1wqH
— Michael Shellenberger (@shellenberger) January 16, 2024
Networks and news organizations have routinely refused to air live remarks by Trump in recent years. Outlets such as CNN and NPR have joined MSNBC over fears of spreading misinformation.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILYWIRE+ APP
Trump has led Republican primary polls in the months leading up to the Iowa contest and is favored to become the eventual GOP nominee to challenge President Joe Biden for the White House in November. MSNBC’s decision to continue its filtered coverage against Trump raises questions about media fairness and objectivity in political coverage.
Networks were accused of interfering in the Iowa caucus Monday night over the decision to call the race early, as well. Multiple outlets – including Fox News, the Associated Press, CNN, and others – called the race for Trump with about 1% of results in. Voting had not started in many areas of the state when notifications were sent out declaring a winner.