President Trump addressed supporters at the "Save America March" in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday — but anyone who relies on CNN or MSNBC for information would have no clue of what was said during the polarizing, yet historic, event.
Trump called the 2020 presidential election a "catastrophe" and continued to claim widespread voter fraud impacted the results, referring to President-elect Joe Biden as "illegitimate."
CNN and MSNBC both failed to carry the president’s remarks in full, which included slamming "weak Republicans," declaring Democrats "put America last" and renewing his pressure on Vice President Mike Pence, who was to preside over Wednesday’s joint session of Congress to certify the results of the 2020 presidential election. The event was interrupted by protesters who stormed the Capitol and forced lawmakers to evacuate.
LIVE UPDATES: TRUMP ADDRESSES SUPPORTERS AT 'SAVE AMERICA MARCH' IN DC
"I hope Mike is going to do the right thing. I hope so, I hope so, because if Mike Pence does the right thing, we win the election," Trump told the crowd.
CNN skipped the news altogether, while MSNBC provided viewers with a tiny box in the lower corner of the screen for portions of it — a tactic typically reserved for showing empty podiums before events begin.
President Trump arrives to speak at a rally Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
CNN and MSNBC have both skipped news-making comments by Trump and members of his administration in the past, with CNN famously complaining Trump doesn’t speak to the press enough but then refusing to carry many of his coronavirus press conferences.
"We do not want to see our election victory stolen by radical left Democrats, that’s what they’re doing, and stolen by the fake news media, that’s what they’ve done and what they’re doing," Trump said during the remarks skipped by CNN and MSNBC. "We will never give up and never concede."
The president also touted the crowds of supporters who traveled to Washington for pro-Trump rallies across the city Wednesday on the sidelines of the Electoral College certification in Congress.
While condemning many, Trump applauded some Republicans, pointing to the more than 100 House GOP lawmakers who have said they will object to the certification of the election results during the joint session, and thanked the more than a dozen Republican senators who have committed to objecting to the certification of the election results by name.
Trump accused the media of suppressing the speech in the remarks that were shielded from CNN and MSNBC viewers.
"We don’t have free and fair elections, and you know what else, we don’t have a free and fair press," he said. "It suppresses thought, it suppresses speech and it’s become the enemy of the people. It is the biggest problem we have in this country."
CNN and MSNBC did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In the past, CNN has defended such decisions by pointing to inaccurate statements made by Trump.
TRUMP PRESSURES PENCE AHEAD OF ELECTORAL COLLEGE CERTIFICATION: ‘THIS IS A TIME FOR EXTREME COURAGE’
DePauw University professor and media critic Jeffrey McCall noted the remarks were "quite lengthy," so it could make sense that cable news channels might interrupt normal programming to air the entire speech -- but feels it was an important moment.
"Trump's remarks, however, were indeed newsworthy, whether one agrees with the remarks or not. Trump is still president and what he says has news value," McCall told Fox News.
"People need to know what Trump is saying and what his supporters are rallying around. Other reporting before and after the remarks can put Trump's remarks in context or provide competing perspectives as appropriate," McCall added. "The key for assessing the decision of the cable news executives to not carry Trump's remarks at the rally is whether they were just making a programming decision or trying to deny news consumers the opportunity to hear what is on the president's mind. People can make their own judgments on the motives of the cable news programmers."
While CNN didn’t carry Trump’s remarks, the network was well aware the rally was occurring as staffers took to Twitter to gloat about the decision not to air the president's remarks.Earlier in the day, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany scolded CNN over an on-screen graphic that labeled the event as a "coup attempt" as a reporter was on the scene.
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"This CNN chyron is unsurprisingly OUTRAGEOUS! Apparently abiding by a constitutional process that Democrats themselves have used is now considered a "COUP" by the Fake News activists!" McEnany wrote. "CNN has become a sad parody of a news network."
Fox News’ Brooke Singman contributed to this report.
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