{"id":8350,"date":"2026-07-17T06:06:51","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T01:06:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8350"},"modified":"2026-07-17T06:06:51","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T01:06:51","slug":"democrats-launch-prebuttal-to-trumps-primetime-address-hes-scared-to-death-of-the-midterms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=8350","title":{"rendered":"Democrats launch prebuttal to Trump&#8217;s primetime address: &#8216;He&#8217;s scared to death&#8217; of the midterms"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div xmlns:default=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" data-testid=\"prism-article-body\">\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao MvWXB TjIXL aGjvy ebVHC \">Democrats on Thursday offered their prebuttal to <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/trump-give-primetime-speech-2020-election-sources\/story?id=134791893\" dir=\"ltr\">President Donald Trump&#8217;s prime time address<\/a> that they expect to focus on the 2020 election.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Ossoff, whose home state has been the target of many of the administration&#8217;s election challenges, told reporters Thursday, &#8220;If the president declares Georgia&#8217;s elections illegitimate, or if the president declares Georgia&#8217;s sitting United States senators illegitimate, he is declaring Georgia voters illegitimate. It&#8217;s Donald Trump who tried to defraud Georgia voters in that election.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Ossoff<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->is up for re-election in November and his seat is being targeted by Republicans as a possible pickup opportunity.<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->He predicted that Trump would use his speech to rehash challenges to the 2020 election that failed in court.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/df7b3ff6-67b9-4b98-a7f2-97a7840b84ca\/ossoff-ap-jt-260716_1784233322807_hpMain.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/df7b3ff6-67b9-4b98-a7f2-97a7840b84ca\/ossoff-ap-jt-260716_1784233322807_hpMain.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/df7b3ff6-67b9-4b98-a7f2-97a7840b84ca\/ossoff-ap-jt-260716_1784233322807_hpMain.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/df7b3ff6-67b9-4b98-a7f2-97a7840b84ca\/ossoff-ap-jt-260716_1784233322807_hpMain.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/df7b3ff6-67b9-4b98-a7f2-97a7840b84ca\/ossoff-ap-jt-260716_1784233322807_hpMain.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Sen. Jon Ossoff walks through the Capitol during votes in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Allison Robbert\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;Here&#8217;s what&#8217;s going to happen tonight: the world&#8217;s most famous sore loser will deliver a prime-time presidential sour grapes address to pursue his six-year-old grievances about the 2020 election, while his war in the Middle East spirals out of control and the cost of living continues to rise for Americans across the country,&#8221;<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Ossoff<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">In a White House briefing Thursday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt was tight-lipped about what the president would say besides that he will discuss &#8220;protecting the integrity of our elections.&#8221;<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">When pressed by a reporter about concerns from some Republicans that the president was litigating past elections that could turn off some swing voters, Leavitt said that Trump would focus on secure elections as key to American democracy.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I&#8217;ve seen a lot of reporting and, frankly, misreporting about what the president will say. I think the American people will be relieved to hear what they are hearing from the president of the United States and his commitment to transparency and the focus on the integrity of our elections tonight,&#8221; she said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">When later pressed by ABC News&#8217; Rachel Scott about the political concerns of some Republicans, Leavitt said only that people should wait until they&#8217;ve heard the speech.<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/08a98f9e-0c95-41b7-bd5e-23568a3ad57e\/tillis-ap-jt-260716_1784233510824_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/08a98f9e-0c95-41b7-bd5e-23568a3ad57e\/tillis-ap-jt-260716_1784233510824_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/08a98f9e-0c95-41b7-bd5e-23568a3ad57e\/tillis-ap-jt-260716_1784233510824_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/08a98f9e-0c95-41b7-bd5e-23568a3ad57e\/tillis-ap-jt-260716_1784233510824_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/08a98f9e-0c95-41b7-bd5e-23568a3ad57e\/tillis-ap-jt-260716_1784233510824_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Sen. Thom Tillis talks with reporters at the Capitol during votes in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Allison Robbert\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Outgoing Republican Sens. Thom<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->Tillis<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->and John Cornyn and Rep. Thomas Massie said Trump looking back on the 2020 elections is not a productive message for the party as it heads into the upcoming midterm cycle.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Asked if he thought Trump focusing on the 2020 election going into the midterms was a good messages for Republicans, Tillis said, &#8220;No, not at all. Look, we can&#8217;t re-prosecute that campaign. Anytime you&#8217;re looking back, you&#8217;re not looking ahead and I&#8217;m looking ahead to these elections, and the president should as well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Massie said that the White House was &#8220;trying to convince the American people the problem is the elections&#8221; rather than other issues they are concerned about.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;The problem is not that we didn&#8217;t win the elections. The problem is that we broke our promises when we got here &#8230; So, it&#8217;s a ruse because they&#8217;re trying to convince the American people the problem is the elections. The problem is the people that they&#8217;ve elected.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Cornyn said that he wasn&#8217;t pleased with <a class=\"zZygg UbGlr iFzkS qdXbA WCDhQ DbOXS tqUtK GpWVU iJYzE \" data-testid=\"prism-linkbase\" href=\"https:\/\/abcnews.com\/Politics\/clayton-confirmation-dni-pave-extension-lapsed-key-surveillance\/story?id=134758107\" dir=\"ltr\">Jay Clayton&#8217;s answers<\/a> on the 2020 election during his Senate Intelligence Committee confirmation hearing to be Trump&#8217;s director of national intelligence on Tuesday when he refused to answer who won.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;I thought a lot of it was pretty silly,&#8221; Cornyn said of Clayton&#8217;s performance.<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->&#8220;I don&#8217;t know why we&#8217;re still talking about the 2020 election on either side of the aisle. We got important work to do and I think the most important is coming up here in the midterms. &#8220;In the meantime, to continue to do the people&#8217;s work, and when we&#8217;re talking about what happened six years ago, I don&#8217;t think we&#8217;re doing them any favors.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"oLzSq QrHMO fnRUo pvsTF EhJPu vPlOC zNYgW OsTsW RMeqy daRVX ISNQ sKyCY eRftA acPPc MENS nFwaT MCnQE mEeeY SmBjI xegrY rPLsU iulOd NIuqO zzscu lzDCc aHUBM IEgzD OjMNy eQqcx SVqKB GQmdz jaoD VWDdR ONJdw vrZxD OnRTz gbbfF roDbV GPGwb oMlSS gfNzt oJhud eXZcf zhVlX \">\n<div>\n<div class=\"InlineImage GpQCA lZur asrEW \" data-testid=\"prism-inline-image\">\n<figure class=\"kzIjN GNmeK pYrtp dSqFO \" data-testid=\"prism-figure\">\n<div class=\"GpQCA lZur gIjeL \" data-testid=\"prism-ratio-frame\">\n<div class=\"FvQLF iLTd NqeUA UzzHi iWsMV \"><picture data-testid=\"prism-picture\"><source media=\"(max-width: 414px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1d83b6d2-4d83-4f1d-a189-7982c24d9b9e\/schumer-ap-jt-260716_1784233446966_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=375, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1d83b6d2-4d83-4f1d-a189-7982c24d9b9e\/schumer-ap-jt-260716_1784233446966_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750 2x\"\/><source media=\"(min-width: 415px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1d83b6d2-4d83-4f1d-a189-7982c24d9b9e\/schumer-ap-jt-260716_1784233446966_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=750, https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1d83b6d2-4d83-4f1d-a189-7982c24d9b9e\/schumer-ap-jt-260716_1784233446966_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg?w=1500 2x\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"hsDdd NDJZt sJeUN IJwXl vBqtr KrDt itslR SjwtZ hakZw HlUVI \" data-testid=\"prism-image\" draggable=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/1d83b6d2-4d83-4f1d-a189-7982c24d9b9e\/schumer-ap-jt-260716_1784233446966_hpEmbed_3x2.jpg\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div><figcaption>\n<div class=\"nMMea bNYiy Mjgpa dGwha DDmxa jgKNG RGHCC aBIU PriDW aiQHS lZur \" data-testid=\"prism-caption\">\n<p><span class=\"hsDdd OOSI GpQCA lZur VlFaz \" data-testid=\"prism-truncate\"><span><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ \">Sen. Chuck Schumer talks with reporters outside of the Capitol during votes in Washington, D.C., on July 16, 2026.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"gtOSm FbbUW tUtYa vOCwz EQwFq yCufu eEak Qmvg nyTIa SRXVc vzLa jgBfc WXDas CiUCW kqbG zrdEG txGfn ygKVe BbezD UOtxr CVfpq xijV soGRS XgdC sEIlf daWqJ YNujN JGtjI aZFDu rkKLh \">Allison Robbert\/AP Photo<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said Trump&#8217;s<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->speech could influence how he votes on Clayton.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;If Donald Trump does what I expect and makes outrageous claims and uses those claims as an attempt to interfere in the elections, boy oh boy, more than ever do you need somebody in that role that&#8217;ll take truth to power,&#8221; he said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer <!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->told reporters that Trump is &#8220;scared to death that he will lose in 2026&#8221; and is trying to change the subject.<!-- -->\u00a0<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \">&#8220;The bottom line is,<!-- -->\u00a0<!-- -->if Trump wants to win the American people over, instead of the bulls&#8212; that he&#8217;s peddling about 2020, he ought to focus on lowering people&#8217;s costs, getting rid of the chaos in administration, getting rid of the corruption,&#8221; Schumer said.<\/p>\n<p class=\"EkqkG IGXmU nlgHS yuUao lqtkC TjIXL aGjvy \"><em class=\" \">ABC News&#8217; Michelle Stoddart contributed to this report<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Democrats on Thursday offered their prebuttal to President Donald Trump&#8217;s prime time address that they expect to focus on the 2020 election.\u00a0 Georgia Democratic Sen. Jon\u00a0Ossoff, whose home state has been the target of many of the administration&#8217;s election challenges, told reporters Thursday, &#8220;If the president declares Georgia&#8217;s elections illegitimate, or if the president declares&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8351,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/i.abcnewsfe.com\/a\/df7b3ff6-67b9-4b98-a7f2-97a7840b84ca\/ossoff-ap-jt-260716_1784233322807_hpMain_16x9.jpg?w=1600","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8350","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-abc-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8350","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=8350"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8350\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/8351"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=8350"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=8350"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=8350"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}