President Donald Trump has launched his own television channel after banning three networks from the White House television press pool.
The announcement comes three days after the president angrily removed CNN, MS NOW, and Politico from the pool because he doesn’t like their coverage. Those outlets have since sued the administration, claiming a violation of their First Amendment rights.
“Trump TV,” the White House announced, would begin airing at 7 p.m. on Monday night and would be “streaming 24/7.” The White House’s YouTube channel described the stream as a place where people can “watch the Trump Administration’s biggest moments all in one place.”
“Top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time. Stay informed and stay up to date!” it read.
The channel’s first stream was of the president’s speech at Mt. Rushmore on July 3. At the 20-minute mark, about 8,500 people were watching. One hour in, the channel was showing Trump’s 2025 inauguration to an audience of only 3,800. The White House’s YouTube account has 3.15 million subscribers.
The White House did not respond to specific questions from the Daily Beast about “Trump TV,” like why comments were disabled, instead linking to a post by Deputy Assistant to the President Kaelan Dorr.
“Welcome to TrumpTV,” he wrote. “The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments on behalf of all Americans. Trump TV is a 24/7 livestream of the Administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered. All on the White House YouTube Channel and Official App ENJOY!!”
After Trump banned CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, several other networks—NBC, ABC, CBS, and even Fox News—united to pause White House television pool coverage. The result: Trump was inaudible, even on the White House’s own livestream on Monday.
Photographers from major wire agencies and news outlets—including The New York Times, the Associated Press, AFP, Reuters, Getty, and The Washington Post—have also paused publishing new images of the 80-year-old president.
“In solidarity with news organizations who have had their access to the White House restricted, AP joined a group of news outlets in not publishing photographs of today’s presidential events,” Patrick Maks, a spokesperson for AP, told the Daily Beast. “No news organization—or person—should be retaliated against by the government over the words they use.”
Trump had previously kicked around the idea of a television channel named after himself. In the final weeks of his 2016 campaign, the president launched a Facebook-only talk show called “Trump Tower Live.” The product was far from polished, but it contributed to chatter that the then-candidate was angling to start an actual TV channel if the election didn’t turn out in his favor, The New York Times reported at the time.
Monday’s premiere of “Trump TV” followed the launch of a White House app, where users can presumably watch the channel and be fed “the news that matters most.”
But as CNN reporter Daniel Dale noted, the app selectively presents data to support the president’s so-called “accomplishments.” Instead of showing the current average price for a gallon of gasoline, for example, the app lists the price from before Trump began his war against Iran—when it was more than $1.50 cheaper. The listed inflation rate was also from February, whereas the August rate was one percent higher.
“In summary,” Dale noted, “it may possibly be helpful to consume news from news outlets.”
