Trump to address nation on Iran, election integrity in prime-time White House speech

President Donald Trump announced on Monday that he will deliver a nationwide address on Thursday evening at 9 p.m. Eastern time. The announcement came via his social media platform, Truth Social, in a post written in the third person that did not indicate he had authored or posted it himself.
According to a senior adviser, the speech will be a "potpourri" of topics, including an update on Iran and election integrity. "It will be a potpourri," the adviser said. The specifics beyond the time and place are less certain. The adviser also mentioned that Trump wants to do more prime-time speeches from the White House. "We want to get into the rhythm of doing this," the adviser said. "It's powerful when you give prime-time speeches that give a sense of importance to what he's saying."
Trump's adviser denied online reports that the president plans to discuss the 2020 Senate elections in Georgia, which were won by two Democrats.
The announcement comes amid escalating tensions with Iran. Earlier on Monday, Trump declared that he would reimpose a US naval blockade on Iran and impose a 20% fee on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. He also said that the US will be the "guardians of the Strait of Hormuz." The White House did not immediately respond to requests for details about the speech.
Trump's last major televised address to the nation was on April 1, when he gave his first full public justification of the Iran war more than a month after the US-Israeli military campaign began. In that speech, he laid out his case for a conflict that had sent oil prices soaring and his approval ratings tumbling.
The president has not given many prime-time, direct-to-camera speeches from the White House. He wants to pass the SAVE America Act, a strict voter ID law that's stalled in Congress. He may also present findings from his intelligence officials about the administration's review of the 2020 election, which Trump has not admitted he lost. Additionally, he plans to assert voting machine vulnerabilities in his speech.
In his second term, Trump has delivered two Oval Office addresses: one on law and order and another after the assassination of GOP activist Charlie Kirk. He has also delivered two other prime-time speeches: one touting his administration's progress on the economy last December, and another in April updating the country on the progress of the war he started against Iran. During his first term, he delivered three formal addresses from the Oval Office, including one on the Covid-19 pandemic where he was caught on a hot mic cursing about an ink stain on his shirt.
The White House has not responded to requests for more details about the speech.
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