Trump demands equal airtime before Biden's address from the Oval Office

In anticipation of President Biden's scheduled address from the Oval Office on Wednesday evening, former President Donald J. Trump has sent a letter to ABC, NBC, and CBS, requesting equal airtime for himself. The letter, written by Trump’s campaign manager David Warrington, argues that Biden's speech is not a true news event but rather a "campaign advertisement during prime time." Biden is expected to explain his decision not to run for re-election and outline his plans for the remainder of his term. In a social media post, he stated that he would discuss "what lies ahead and how I will finish the job for the American people." The Trump campaign, however, suspects that Biden will endorse Vice President Kamala Harris as his successor. Based on this assumption, Warrington argues that Biden’s speech is not a genuine news event but a campaign broadcast. He therefore invokes the Federal Communications Commission's "Equal Time" rule, requesting that Trump be granted similar airtime. None of the networks have responded to the request for comment. Likewise, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign has not immediately provided a statement. The Trump campaign's demand harks back to times before the cable television era when broadcasters adhered to stricter standards regarding public interest and had to provide equal airtime to all candidates. This practice changed in 1975 under President Gerald Ford. At that time, the FCC, under Nixon, introduced an exemption for "bona fide news events" such as presidential speeches and news conferences, which Democrats viewed as advantageous to Ford. The "Equal Time" principle today mostly applies only to appearances by federal candidates in entertainment programs. Trump has received considerable media attention over the past two weeks, initially following a murder attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania and subsequently through his nighttime appearances at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee. The final night of the convention, during which Trump delivered his main speech—the first since the assassination attempt—attracted 25.4 million viewers on a dozen channels. Trump’s 93-minute speech differed little in substance or length from his usual campaign appearances. Biden's announcement that he will not seek another term has overshadowed Trump and his convention. ABC, CBS, and NBC interrupted their regular programming to cover it, and Kamala Harris’s burgeoning campaign has since dominated the news. The Trump campaign has also filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission, accusing Biden and Harris of violating campaign finance laws by transferring Biden's campaign funds to Harris. This occurred after Biden’s team changed the name of his campaign committee to Harris for President on Sunday. Trump plans to hold a rally in Charlotte on Wednesday at 6 p.m., two hours before Biden addresses the nation.