Several major networks were planning to air the Democratic response to President Trump’s prime-time address on immigration Tuesday night, after Democratic leaders demanded “equal airtime.”
Trump was set to use his 9 p.m. speech to make the case for a border wall. Late Monday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said Democrats “must immediately be given equal airtime.”
As of Tuesday morning, several networks said they would oblige. Several NBC employees said NBC would give time to let Democrats speak on the air after Trump speaks.
“NBC News announces it will broadcast the Democratic response to President Trump’s Oval Office address tonight,” wrote NBC’s Geoff Bennett on Twitter.
NBC News announces it will broadcast the Democratic response to President Trump’s Oval Office address tonight.
— Geoff Bennett (@GeoffRBennett) January 8, 2019
CBS announced that it too would give Democrats time to air their contrary views after Trump.
Tonight CBS News will bring you President Trump’s Oval Office speech and the Democratic response.
Watch beginning at 9 p.m. on @CBS or streaming at https://t.co/ibVTi8qXlY pic.twitter.com/iTMB1BJcGo
— CBS This Morning (@CBSThisMorning) January 8, 2019
Additionally, CNN’s Brian Stelter said his network would also carry the Democratic response, as would MSNBC.
CNN, NBC and CBS all say that they’ll carry the Democratic response to Trump live tonight. My impression is that the other major networks will do the same. But some of the details are still being worked out.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) January 8, 2019
Trump has been pushing Congress to approve $5.7 billion in new spending to help build a portion of the southern border wall. But Democrats have refused, and that disagreement has led to a partial government shutdown that is now in its third week.
