President Donald Trump announced he will deliver a Thursday night address that he suggested will focus on “free and fair elections,” teasing what he called one of the most important speeches of his presidency while offering few details about what he plans to unveil.
“Thursday is, it doesn’t get bigger because without free and fair elections, you don’t have a country,” Trump said while in the Oval Office on Tuesday. “We’ll be discussing other things too. But it’s going to be a very big announcement.”
Trump has teased the contents of his speech without fully revealing what it will be about. “It will be a potpourri,” a senior advisor told Axios, adding that Iran is something the president “wants to address.”
The address is expected to begin at 9 p.m. ET from the White House.
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“As usual, anonymous sources are speculating about what President Trump will say during his speech on Thursday evening,” White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital. “The truth is, nobody knows yet what President Trump will ultimately say, which is why everyone should tune in.”
Trump has touted his speech as being “really big news” and called for the country to “to shape up.”
The White House did not respond to questions about which administration officials are expected to attend the speech. Fox News Digital also reached out to the FBI and CIA about whether FBI Director Kash Patel or CIA Director John Ratcliffe would be present.
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The address also comes against a volatile foreign policy backdrop, after negotiations over an Iran memorandum collapsed and the U.S. resumed strikes on Iranian targets.
CENTCOM announced another round of strikes on Iran on Wednesday morning, marking the fifth straight day the U.S. launched attacks on the country.
Iran has fired back with numerous attacks on U.S. allies in the Middle East, including Kuwait, Bahrain and Jordan.
U.S. forces reinstituted a naval blockade on Iran Tuesday afternoon.
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Gas prices surged during the early days of the Iran conflict, then fell in June as crude oil slipped to roughly $69 a barrel before climbing again to nearly $80 a barrel Monday.
While Trump also suggested Iran would be addressed, he repeatedly indicated Tuesday that election integrity would be a centerpiece of his remarks.
Trump has been laser-focused on passing the SAVE America Act, which includes Trump’s long-sought voter ID and citizenship verification – which Republicans say is key to ensuring elections are safe and secure.
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