July 17, 2026
In desperation, Trump delivers a nothingburger speech in prime time, carried by a single network.
July 17, 2026
Robert B. Hubbell
That was it?! After days of build-up, Trump delivered a pathetic speech that has been panned by nearly every reputable outlet that covered it. And those who were forced to carry the speech--FOX, CBS, and white supremacist forums--published muted headlines that left room to distance themselves from Trump’s lies. (Fox: Trump unveils declassified intel he says was covered up and hidden from the public; CBS, “Trump speaks on elections, alleging Chinese access to voter data.”)
The “document drop” that followed the speech was equally embarrassing. Per multiple outlets reviewing the documents, they not only rebut Trump’s claims that China interfered in the 2020 election, but also bolster the case that Russia actively worked to defeat Joe Biden. As noted in an article by HuffPo, Trump Attacks U.S. Elections With Old Intel, a key intelligence report in the documents released on Thursday evening,
found that while China obtained publicly available voter registration information, it did not attempt to interfere in the actual election process. A minority view in that report states that China preferred that Trump lose the election to Democrat Joe Biden. The report also said Russia again worked to help Trump win, although not to the extent that it had four years earlier.
I did not watch the speech live because I was at a dinner celebrating a dear friend’s 70th birthday, so my commentary is based on my review of video excerpts and media commentary. But Substack author Lucian K. Truscott IV did watch the speech live and reported on it in his daily post, titled “Bamboo ballot night at the White House: I watched Trump’s regurgitation so you don’t have to.”
A few choice observations by Truscott:
Trump didn’t look good tonight. He was whiny and out of sorts and he sped through the script like he just wanted to get to the end of it and take the elevator upstairs so he could start posting on Truth Social about what a great speech he had given and how he had had the largest television audience in American history. It was a joke. His MAGA 30 percent, those who watched it or will hear about it on Fox News or right-wing podcasts, they’ll believe what he said. But not the rest of the American electorate. They’re tired of him. They didn’t tune in. They don’t believe his lies. [¶] People are tired of his act. He didn’t light a fire under anyone tonight. He put people to sleep.
The lies were tracked and flagged in real time by multiple news organizations. See, e.g., CBS News, Fact-checking Trump speech on election security.
Although CBS was the only major broadcast network to carry the speech live, CBS’s fact-checking is well done and provides a good summary of Trump’s baseless allegations.
A single example demonstrates the misleading spin that Trump put on well-known facts. For example, Trump said,
First, [the documents] show that over a period of years, starting during the 2020 election cycle, the People’s Republic of China carried out what is believed to be the largest compromise of election data in history.
Sounds serious, right? Well, how, exactly, did China “compromise US election data?” Answer: It purchased publicly available election data accessible to anyone willing to pay the fees of data brokers who download, organize, and sell information made available to the public by the secretaries of state for the 50 states.
Per CBS’s fact check:
All states make some voting information publicly available: Name, address, political party and more. North Carolina and Ohio, for example, post their voter file online for free. In some states, these lists are available for purchase by political campaigns and parties. A Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency/FBI bulletin from September 2020 found, “In reality, much U.S. voter information can be purchased or acquired through publicly available sources. While cyber actors have in recent years obtained voter registration information, the acquisition of this data did not impact the voting process or election results.
There are many other examples, but you get the point. Trump lied, exaggerated, and cajoled—all in a vain attempt to convince Congress to pass the SAVE America Act (which Republicans will not do because they would need to end the filibuster to do so).
The speech consisted of old lies delivered in a low-testosterone manner that showed even Trump doesn’t believe the B.S. he is peddling. You shouldn’t believe it, either.
Disturbing information on the background of the ICE agent who killed Maine man
One danger posed by the massive $70 billion ICE funding is that ICE’s recruiting and training efforts could lead to lower standards and recruits unfit to serve in a militarized force engaged in a mass deportation effort. That appears to be the case in the killing of Johan Sebastian Duran Guerrero by an ICE officer in Maine. See AP Exclusive: ICE officer in Maine shooting has history of violent behavior, family and records say.
The AP article is shocking. The ICE officer who killed Duran Guerrero had a history of “violent and terrifying behavior,” mental illness, and domestic abuse (including physical abuse of his children) that should have disqualified him from carrying a firearm in public interactions. Indeed, the long history of his abuse, verbal threats, and mental illness was so bad that the officer’s ex-wife said she thought her husband was having a delusional episode when he said he had been hired by ICE.
Per AP’s investigation,
But hundreds of family court records obtained from the Augusta District Court clerk’s office detail years of allegations of physical and verbal abuse raised by his second ex-wife on behalf of herself and his daughters. The ex-wife — whom the AP is not identifying because she fears retaliation — alleged that he had stalked and harassed her and physically and verbally abused his daughter, according to multiple requests for temporary protection orders. Brouillette tackled his teenage daughter and smashed spaghetti in her hair, and during another outburst, he dragged his daughter around the house as she cried, she said. “Dave needs counseling or something for his PTSD & depression,” she wrote in an application for a temporary protective order on behalf of his teenage daughter which a judge granted in 2021.
There is much more in the AP article, which I recommend for your review. The point is that there were hundreds of public records that should have caused ICE to reject the officer’s application. But ICE is drunk with the money and impunity gifted to the agency by Republicans. ICE is broken beyond repair.
While the US may need an agency to enforce immigration laws, ICE is not that agency. It should be abolished and replaced.
Concluding Thoughts
There may be a silver lining to tonight’s speech. This was Trump’s best shot at marshaling the factual predicate for his attacks on the 2026 midterms. Most of those facts are lies, exaggerations, or unsupportable inferences. Those are the same “facts” that Trump will be relying on in November. The good news is that voter protection advocates like Marc Elias and his law firm can begin writing their briefs now based on the lies Trump released on Thursday evening.
A downside of the speech was that the commentary by many news anchors, guests, and pundits preceding it was apocalyptic, designed not only to warn but also to frighten the American people. I hope those anchors, guests, and pundits will take a good, hard look in the mirror on Friday morning and ask whether they acquitted themselves honorably on Thursday. If the answer is “No,” they should acknowledge their hyperbole and do their best to provide context, fact-checking, and perspective to Trump’s desperate speech.
Two things are true: (a) Trump poses a dangerous threat to the midterms that must be taken seriously, and (b) massive voter turnout is a complete answer to any and all voter suppression efforts by Trump.
Don’t be frightened or misled by journalists and pundits who want to focus on (a) while ignoring (b).
We are not potted plants. We have agency. We can influence the future if we do not give up. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. Not Trump. Not people trying to frighten you into watching or reading their analyses by predicting doom and disaster that can occur only if we do nothing to prevent it.
After Trump’s pathetic speech on Thursday evening, we should be feeling more confident that we can defeat his voter suppression efforts. I am not saying it will be easy. I am saying it is possible for us to do so—because it is within the margin of effort.
