Networks cut Trump speech as some Republicans chastise president over election lies

Donald Trump addressed Americans from the White House on Thursday evening, illegitimately declaring victory in the presidential election for the second time this week. Several US news networks cut their feeds of the 16-minute speech, and numerous Republicans condemned the many falsehoods proclaimed in it.

MSNBC halted its live stream of the speech just a few minutes in, with host Brian Williams saying: “Here we are again in the unusual position of not only interrupting the president of the United States but correcting the president of the United States.

“It was not rooted in reality – and at this point, where our country is, it’s dangerous.”

On Friday morning, the Pennsylvania Republican senator Pat Toomey told NBC: “The president’s allegations of large-scale fraud and theft of the election are just not substantiated. I’m not aware of any significant wrongdoing here.”

As the president spoke the evening before, CNBCalso cut away from Trump’s remarks, to anchor Shep Smith who said: “What the president of the United States is saying, in large part, is absolutely untrue.”

And the Associated Press – which the Guardian relies on to project election results – swiftly clarified that it “has not declared a winner in the presidential race, with several states still too early to call”.

The speech came as former Vice-President Joe Biden was ahead in the electoral college and ballots in key states continues to be counted.

While many Republicans have avoided commenting on the president’s false claims of victory and undemocratic assertion that votes should not be counted, several did speak out on Thursday night, urging patience as the ballots are counted.

Chris Christie became the first major Trump ally to chastise the president for falsely claiming that the election is being stolen from him.

“Show us the evidence,” he said on ABC News. “We heard nothing today about evidence.”

Paul Mitchell, a Republican congressman of Michigan, said: “Every legal vote should and will be counted – as they always are.”

“Anything less harms the integrity of our elections and is dangerous for our democracy,” he said.

“Counting every vote is at the heart of democracy,” tweeted Mitt Romney, the senator of Utah and former Republican presidential candidate. “That process is often long and, for those running, frustrating. The votes will be counted.”

Larry Hogan, the Republican governor of Maryland, tweeted there was “no defense for the president’s comments tonight undermining our Democratic process”, while Tom Ridge, the former secretary of homeland security under George W Bush, said the speech “disrespected every single American who figured out a way to safely vote amid a pandemic”.

Will Hurd, the Republican congressman of Texas, said: “A sitting president undermining our political process and questioning the legality of the voices of countless Americans without evidence is not only dangerous and wrong, it undermines the very foundation this nation was built upon. Every American should have his or her vote counted.”

Joe Biden also responded shortly after the speech, saying, “No one is going to take our democracy from us”, while his running mate, Kamala Harris, said Trump “is trying to invalidate these ballots”.

Meanwhile, CNN’s Anderson Cooper had perhaps the most bruising words of the night: “That is the most powerful person in the world and we see him like an obese turtle on his back, flailing in the hot sun, realizing his time is over.”