Trump last did so in April to talk about the war in Iran, a month after it began. He said then that the US would meet its targets “very soon” and that “the hard part is done, so it should be easy”.
However, the war has dragged on and attacks between the US and Iran have intensified this week.
Trump also delivered a politically charged prime-time speech in December in which he sought to blame Democrats for the challenging economic climate.
It was unclear whether or to what extent television networks were planning to broadcast Thursday’s speech. Messages to ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News Channel and MS NOW asking about coverage plans were not returned.
Democrats warned that Trump was trying to revive false claims of stolen past elections in order to delegitimize the upcoming 2026 midterm elections, in which Trump’s Republican Party is facing headwinds.
“Tomorrow night, Trump will use a primetime speech to push fraudulent claims about our election in order to justify interfering in our midterm elections. It’s up to all of us to follow the facts and not buy into his constant stream of misdirection and lies,” Virginia Democratic Sen. Mark Warner said in a statement on X.
“Trump is again trying to assemble baseless election conspiracies ahead of the November election,” New Jersey Democratic Sen. Andy Kim said in a post on X. “Americans are tired of endless war, high gas prices and a president who doesn’t care about them. Voters are going to make their voices heard, whether Trump wants them to or not.”
On Capitol Hill Wednesday, Vice President JD Vance quipped when asked if he would encourage Trump in his comments Thursday to stay focused on the November midterm elections rather than rehash past elections. “‘Bad claims,'” Vance said, echoing the reporter’s language. “You are essentially assuming an answer to the very question you ask.”
“The president is going to be talking about a bunch of things tomorrow night. I’m definitely not going to put my finger on his comments,” Vance said. “But we can talk about a number of problems of the American people. We can solve a number of problems of the American people.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, RS.D., told reporters he doesn’t know what Trump means. “But,” he said, “the one thing I can tell you is that we are focused on the 2026 election, at least I am, and I think most of my colleagues are.”
