Trump plans address on 2020 election intelligence, MS NOW reports

President Donald Trump intends to say in a Thursday night national address that declassified intelligence reports show a foreign country planned to interfere in the 2020 presidential election, MS NOW reported Monday, citing two White House officials. Trump separately said on Truth Social that he would deliver a “Speech to the Nation” at 9 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, without giving details.

The planned remarks would place an intelligence claim tied to a past U.S. election into a high-profile presidential address. MS NOW reported that the officials who described the plans were granted anonymity to discuss internal White House preparations.

According to MS NOW, Trump is expected to appear with senior national security and law enforcement officials. The group will include CIA Director John Ratcliffe, acting Director of National Intelligence Bill Pulte, FBI Director Kash Patel and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, one of the officials told the network.

The report did not identify the foreign country, describe the contents of the declassified material or provide details on the alleged plans to interfere. It also did not say whether the intelligence reports concern actions that were carried out, attempted or only contemplated.

What has been confirmed

Trump’s public statement confirmed only the timing of the address. In his Truth Social post on Monday afternoon, he said he would speak to the nation on Thursday evening at 9 p.m. Eastern and did not state the subject of the speech.

MS NOW’s account supplied the reported topic and the expected lineup of officials. The network attributed those details to White House officials familiar with the preparations.

Declassification can allow the government to release information that had previously been restricted for national security reasons. In this case, the White House has not publicly released the intelligence reports described by MS NOW, and the reported claims have not been detailed in public filings or official statements cited in the report.

Political context

The 2020 presidential election remains a central theme in Trump’s political messaging. The forthcoming speech, as described by MS NOW, would return attention to foreign interference allegations while drawing in the intelligence community, the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security.

Because the reported address concerns intelligence material, the substance of the claim will depend on what the administration releases or describes publicly on Thursday. The available information at this stage is limited to Trump’s confirmation of a national speech and MS NOW’s report on what he plans to say.

This story draws on original reporting from CNBC.