Key takeaways from President Trump’s prime-time speech on the election
President Donald Trump spoke about election fraud in a prime-time speech, but did not mention rising gas prices or inflation.
update: This article has been updated to include a statement from Keisha Lance Bottoms.
On Thursday night, President Donald Trump addressed the nation in the East Room of the White House.
From allegations that the Chinese government tried to interfere in the 2020 election to a Department of Homeland Security report suggesting that hundreds of thousands of noncitizens across multiple states are registered to vote, President Trump’s speech focused on what he called the U.S. election system “broken” and “fragile.”
“Our goal in releasing this information is not to undermine confidence in our elections, but to gain confidence by confronting the vulnerabilities and remediating them very quickly,” Trump said in a speech.
Although a trove of documents was released with this speech suggesting that foreign governments considered ways to interfere in the electoral system, there appears to be no evidence that any attempts were actually successful or influenced the outcome of the 2020 election.
Leaders on both sides of the aisle disagree on what to make of the presumed findings, with many saying it is more important to set the stage for renewed claims of election fraud in November’s midterm elections than the outcome of the election six years ago.
Here’s how some Georgia politicians reacted to the speech.
Ossoff, Warnock avoid direct attacks
Days before the speech, rumors circulated that President Trump might summon Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock to claim their victory was illegitimate, forcing both politicians to get ahead of their messages.
However, President Trump did not mention the recent FBI raids on election sites in Georgia or Fulton County in his remarks, nor did he name any senators.
“Tonight, as the war spirals and prices rise, we hear from a failed and desperate president who, as always, is focused on his own frustration, shame, and, most of all, the fear of responsibility that comes with defeat,” Ossoff wrote in a post on X after his speech. “We also heard a president demonstrate clear intent to attack this election and our right to vote, just as he is trying to throw away our votes and seize the presidency in 2020.”
Ossoff went on to say that there is a “wave of rebellion” growing, especially in Georgia, where Ossoff is seeking re-election this term, and that Trump is “nothing compared to the power of the people.”
Earlier in the day, Ossoff called Trump “the most famous loser in the world” during an appearance on CNN.
This message was shared by Senate Reverend Raphael Warnock, a longtime leader of the modern civil rights movement and a passionate advocate for voting rights. Mr. Warnock will not be up for re-election this year.
In a video posted after his speech at X, Warnock said President Trump’s remarks were not actually about 2020, but rather 2026.
“Donald Trump knows this. He knows he’s a failed president. He knows his popularity is on the decline. He knows he’s on track to lose in 2026, and instead of doing something for the people, he’s trying to interfere in the election. Don’t let him believe he’s already won,” Warnock said.
Collins says Americans should be ‘alarmed’
Rep. Mike Collins, a pro-Trump candidate running against Ossoff in Georgia’s Senate race, called the speech alarming and doubled down on his support for the SAVE America Act.
“The only reason we won’t[pass the SAVE America Act]is because the policies are so bad and the candidates are so pathetic that they can’t get away with it or get elected any other way, so they want to cheat,” Trump said in his speech.
The SAVE America Act would require a photo ID and proof of citizenship to vote. Supporters say the change will prevent voter fraud, while opponents say it acts as a form of voter suppression.
“Our right to free and secure elections must be ruthlessly protected, and all Americans should be wary of our adversaries’ ability to interfere with elections and jeopardize the right to vote,” Collins said in a post on X. “With 83% of Americans supporting voter ID, there has never been a more important time to pass the SAVE America Act and protect our democracy.”
“Legacy media is a real threat,” Fuller says.
Georgia’s newest congressman, Clay Fuller, won the seat to replace Marjorie Taylor Greene in a special election earlier this year.
After the speech, Mr. Fuller attacked traditional media and news outlets that chose not to broadcast the speech.
“ABC, NBC, and CNN just refused to air President Trump’s prime-time speech exposing election interference. This is blatant censorship to hide the truth from American voters,” Fuller said in a post on X. “They don’t want you to know. They want to control. Legacy media is a real threat to democracy.”
Historically, major news organizations have also refused to print speeches by other presidents. In 2014, ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC all refused to air President Obama’s speech outlining his immigration reform plan and instead aired their highly rated Thursday night shows. In 2022, many of those same stations refused to air President Biden’s “Battle for the Soul of the Nation” speech.
In a second post, Fuller shared figures that DHS claims there are 278,000 noncitizens registered to vote in the United States and reiterated his support for the SAVE America Act.
“That’s why Democrats are so afraid of the SAVE America Act,” Fuller said.
Although Greene no longer holds political office, that hasn’t stopped her from remaining in the political spotlight and speaking out.
“Everyone agrees that voting machines can be hacked and votes swapped. After the president’s speech last night, when will we take down the voting machines?” she asked in the X post.
The speech was aimed at “instilling a sense of distrust,” Bottoms said.
Keisha Lance Bottoms, who served as Atlanta’s mayor in the 2020 election and is now a Democratic gubernatorial candidate, said the speech was part of an ongoing effort to “instill distrust” in Georgia elections.
Bottoms spoke out after the FBI raided a Fulton County election site, part of the Atlanta metropolitan area, earlier this year. She also opposed a Department of Justice subpoena requesting personal information from Fulton County poll workers and volunteers.
“Donald Trump continues to sow distrust in our elections. He orchestrated an attack on a polling site in Fulton County and is targeting the privacy of Georgia election workers. This is just his latest desperate attempt to intimidate voters,” Bottoms said in a statement Friday morning. Regarding her Republican opponent, she said, “Rick Jackson has said he agrees with all of Mr. Trump’s policies. As governor, I will defend the fundamental rights of Georgians as Mr. Trump continues to spread conspiracy theories.”
Jackson did not directly address the speech on social media, but he has repeatedly said at campaign events that he would be “Trump’s favorite governor” and that he “looks like Trump, but with a Southern tongue.”
Eileen Wright covers Georgia politics and elections as an Atlanta Connect reporter for USA TODAY’s Deep South Connect team. X Find her at @IreneEWright or email her at ismith@usatodayco.com.
