Some parts of President Donald Trump's upcoming national address, as teased in the media, received an icy reception on CNN.
Trump is scheduled to give a national address on Thursday at 9 p.m. ET. Ahead of the speech, some reporters have noted that Trump plans to declare Democratic Sens. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff of Georgia "illegitimate" because of alleged "election fraud." Others have suggested that Trump plans to revive conspiracy theories about the 2020 election through newly declassified information during the address.
The panel on CNN's "The Lead" with Jake Tapper on Tuesday was having none of it.
Daniel Dale, CNN senior reporter, argued that the speech is happening at a time when "we're approaching six years of him lying that he won [the 2020 general election]."
\"Recently, he's begun saying that so much proof has already emerged of his claims that the election was rigged, and that he was the real winner. No such proof has emerged," Dale said. "He's even started saying that he is in his third term as president. So, he's inventing an imaginary and unconstitutional victory."
Jeff Duncan, the former lieutenant governor of Georgia, told Tapper that Trump's 2020 election comments could come back to bite Republicans in the midterms.
"I can assure you, most Republicans, especially those that are on the ballot, not only in Georgia but across the country, do not want Donald Trump rehashing the 2020 election," Duncan said.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, a former Trump administration spokesperson, warned that Trump may use the address to introduce new information to further one of his conspiracy theories, particularly information from Acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte.
"Is there something that materializes from his corridor of the trump universe? That's what I'll be watching," she said.
