White House Launches 24-Hour ‘Trump TV’ After Press Ban

• US President Donald Trump’s administration has launched a 24-hour online television channel, “TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station”.

• The launch followed a decision by ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC to suspend participation in the White House television pool after CNN was blocked from carrying out its scheduled responsibility of recording and distributing footage of Trump’s activities.

• The White House is presenting Trump TV as a direct source of presidential coverage, with the platform carrying past presidential appearances, major announcements and other administration-produced content through the White House website and its official YouTube channel.

September 22, () – The administration of President Donald Trump has launched a 24-hour online television channel, “TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station”, after the White House banned journalists from three major news organisations and a subsequent breakdown in the traditional system for televising presidential events.

Available through the White House website and its official YouTube channel, the White House unveiled the streaming platform on Monday, describing it as a round-the-clock source for presidential footage, major announcements and other content from the administration.

Its launch came after ABC, CBS, Fox News and NBC suspended their participation in the White House television pool, following the administration’s decision to prevent CNN from performing its scheduled pool duties.

The television pool is a long-standing arrangement under which major broadcasters rotate responsibility for recording presidential events and distributing the footage to other television stations and news organisations.

CNN was scheduled to handle the pool assignment on Monday but was prevented from doing so after the White House barred its journalists from the presidential complex. The other networks subsequently declined to replace CNN, creating an unusual gap in shared television coverage of Trump’s official activities.

The disruption also affected coverage of Trump’s inauguration of a new helipad at the White House.

Against the backdrop, the White House promoted its own streaming platform as an alternative source of footage.

“IT’S LIVE. Trump TV is Streaming Now. 24/7, updated in real time, with top past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place. Not every big moment has made it on your TV; now it can”, the White House said in announcing the platform.

Despite being promoted as a 24-hour channel, the first broadcast was not a live presidential event. Instead, it featured previously recorded material, including Trump’s July 3 address at Mount Rushmore, along with other administration content.

The platform gives the White House a direct means of distributing footage of the President and his activities without depending on traditional television networks to provide or distribute the material.

The move comes as the administration faces growing tensions with major news organisations over access to the White House and coverage of Trump.