Former CNN anchor Jim Acosta has called on television networks to forgo live coverage of former President Donald Trump's speeches, particularly those concerning election integrity, asserting that airing such addresses without real-time fact-checking would be "totally nuts."
Acosta expressed his concerns on "The Joy Reid Show," stating that broadcasting Trump's "conspiracy theories" live on national television without immediate refutation is "totally crazy." He criticized the practice of providing fact-checks only after the speeches conclude, arguing that by then, the claims have already been amplified.
"It is totally crazy to put his bats--- ‘Looney Tunes’ conspiracy theories on live national television without fact-checkers in real time," Acosta said. "some of the networks will say, 'Well, we'll have some fact-checkers on afterwards,' and the fact-checkers will come on and say, 'Well, there isn't any evidence to support his claims.' It's all boloney kabuki Washington DC theater."
Acosta specifically voiced worries that Trump might spread further unsubstantiated claims about election integrity, potentially undermining public trust in upcoming elections. He noted that Trump has not provided evidence for his past assertions.
"He has never ever proven any of these things. He has lost the benefit of the doubt," Acosta stated. "We should not be erring on the side of putting these things out there, and I totally agree with you that he's chumming the waters for not trusting the midterms."
Acosta suggested that Trump could be orchestrating a scenario to cast doubt on election results, potentially leading to delays in seating new legislative bodies or prolonged legal battles. "[He could] say, 'See, I can't trust these results over here in this state or these results over here in that key district that may determine the control of the House. And Mike Johnson, maybe we just shouldn't seat a new Congress right away, and maybe we should just all go to court and have the courts untangle... [and] that's going to take until May or June of next year,'" he warned. "That, to me, is a terrifying thought."
Trump's primetime address on Thursday focused on election integrity, including allegations that China sought to influence the results of the 2020 presidential election. While Trump did not claim China altered votes, he asserted that Beijing engaged in an influence campaign to shape U.S. public opinion.
During the speech, Trump urged Congress to pass the SAVE America Act, presenting the declassified intelligence as justification for tightening federal election rules. The act had previously passed the House but stalled in the Senate.
Acosta reiterated his call ahead of the address, emphasizing that networks should avoid platforming what he described as "lies" and "nonsense." He concluded that this is a "very serious moment for the television networks in this country."
CBS News aired a special report that included analysis before broadcasting parts of Trump's speech, cutting away after the former president criticized ABC and NBC. MSNBC carried the initial 15 minutes of the speech live before transitioning to commentary. Fox News broadcasted the entire address.