Trump wants to speak on prime time. Networks aren't sure they'll let him.

President Trump.
(Image credit: JIM WATSON/AFP/Getty Images)

TV networks don't exactly want to tune into President Trump's immigration ideas.

On Monday, Trump announced he'd be giving a Tuesday speech on what he called "the humanitarian and national security crisis on our southern border." But networks aren't too interested in giving up their prime time hour to air an unchallenged presidential manifesto, one TV executive tells CNN's Brian Stelter.

The government shutdown is now in its third week, and Trump still hasn't relented on his demand for $5 billion in border wall funding. He plans to make his case for the wall Tuesday at 9 p.m. EST, and requested the time slot from the four major networks: ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC, per The New York Times. They're currently "deliberating" over whether to give it to him, a network source tells Stelter.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/jacafc5zvs1692883516.jpg

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

"Networks don't automatically say yes when a president asks for airtime," Stelter tweeted. For example, when former President Barack Obama similarly asked to air an immigration reform address in 2014, major networks said no. The Trump factor makes the decision especially difficult, as one TV executive pointed out.

Beyond the political optics, networks also worry about losing ad spots they've already sold within their prime time slots. Such lucrative 9 p.m. shows as Ellen's Game of Games would be trumped, after all.

Explore More

Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.