Trump to address nation on election integrity in what he promises will be a ‘very big announcement’ 

President Donald Trump is set to address the nation Thursday, in what he has billed as a “very big announcement.” 

First announced on Truth Social Monday, the speech is expected to focus on election integrity. Asked by a reporter on Tuesday to give a sneak peek of what to expect from the speech, Trump confirmed it would center on elections and “a couple of other things” but said he would rather “save it.” 

“It’s really big news, it’s really, really big news,” he said in the Oval Office. “And our country has to shape up. But what we’re going to be talking about Thursday, it doesn’t get bigger, because without free and fair elections you don’t have a country. We’ll be discussing other things too, but it’s going to be a very big announcement.” 

The speech will follow a packed day at the White House, as Trump’s schedule indicated he would meet with Sen. Darline Graham, who is replacing Sen. Lindsey Graham after his sudden death over the weekend, and with El Salvador President Nayib Bukele for closed-press meetings. White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt is also set to give her first press briefing since returning from maternity leave.

Leavitt also confirmed Trump’s address will be on “protecting the integrity of our elections.”

“We encourage every American to watch the president’s speech, which is fully supported by everyone on his team, rather than reading pure speculation from the media,” she told Politico. The White House did not immediately respond to Heartlander News’ request for comment about the upcoming speech. 

Speaking at the press briefing on Thursday, Leavitt said everything Trump will say tonight will be “backed by facts and by evidence” and hinted he may cast doubt on election security.

“We should have the safest and most secure elections in the history of the world. And what the president will be speaking about tonight will show you that perhaps that isn’t the case.”

The speech has sparked widespread speculation in Washington, D.C., about what exactly Trump will say about elections. He’s expected to announce the declassification of “previously unseen intelligence” to create urgency around the SAVE America Act, a top priority of Trump’s, Politico reported, citing unnamed sources. 

Yet Leavitt has pushed back on those rumors, telling Fox News Digital that “as usual, anonymous sources are speculating about what President Trump will say during his speech on Thursday evening.”

“The truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should tune in,” she added.

The speech – set for 8 p.m. CT during TV primetime – has also prompted speculation about how major networks will approach airing it. It will force the networks to make a difficult choice, as Axios reported: risk airing controversial 2020 election claims or face backlash from the White House.

ABC, CBS and NBC did not immediately reply to a request for comment from Heartlander News about their coverage plans. C-SPAN will carry the address, which is also expected to stream on WhiteHouse.gov and the White House’s social media channels.

Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Missouri, told Heartlander News he hoped Trump would “call on Congress to do something about the cost of living” in advance of November’s midterm elections.

“We need to get the cost of gas down. It is way too high,” said Hawley, who added that he had not spoken with the president regarding the speech. “We need to get the cost of homes down.”