The White House launched Trump TV following Trump's conflict with the American media
The White House has launched a 24-hour video stream titled “TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station,” which features speeches by U.S. President Donald Trump, coverage of his administration’s activities, archival footage, and current announcements.
The broadcast began on the evening of September 21, U.S. time—that is, on the night of September 22, Kyiv time—on the White House’s official YouTube channel.
The broadcast began with archival footage featuring Trump, including his speeches and ceremonies.
According to the White House announcement, viewers can expect the president’s major speeches, highlights, announcements, and the latest news from the administration.
“TRUMP TV is now available. 24/7, updated in real time, featuring the best moments from past years, announcements, and the latest news from the administration—all in one place. Not all important events have been shown on TV until now, but now it’s possible,” the announcement states.
The launch of the new channel came amid an escalating conflict between Donald Trump and the American media.
On September 18, the U.S. president announced a ban on journalists from CNN, MSNBC, and Politico from working on the White House grounds. Trump accused these media outlets of spreading what he calls “fake news.” The banned outlets are challenging the decision in court.
In response, ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, and Fox News—which are part of the White House press pool—announced on September 21 that they were suspending their joint television coverage of presidential events.
Traditionally, these five networks take turns providing coverage of presidential events and distribute the video feed to other media outlets.
On September 21, it was CNN’s turn to coordinate the press pool, but the White House did not allow the network to fulfill these duties.
The other members of the pool refused to replace CNN. In a joint statement, ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News, and NBC noted that the public has the right to receive independent information about the government’s work, and that the administration should not restrict media access based on their reporting.
CNN, MS NOW, and Politico subsequently filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration, claiming that the restrictions on access violated their constitutional rights.
On the same day, because the television pool refused to film the event, the opening ceremony for the new helipad on the South Lawn of the White House took place without the traditional television coverage.
The Trump administration attempted to provide its own broadcast of the event. However, during the president’s speech, his words were virtually inaudible due to the absence of the usual television equipment and pool microphones.
The situation demonstrated the role the press pool plays in distributing video of presidential events to American and international media.
Against this backdrop, “Trump TV” became a separate White House digital channel through which the administration can directly distribute videos about the activities of the president and the government.
Currently, the channel broadcasts 24/7, combining archival footage, speeches by Donald Trump, administration announcements, and current content. At the same time, it was reported that not all of the president’s appearances would be broadcast live.
The launch of “Trump TV” coincided with a legal dispute between the White House and CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, and followed the decision by major television networks to suspend the presidential press pool.
In the U.S., President Donald Trump’s approval rating has dropped to 32%, the lowest figure of his entire political career. This is according to the results of a Reuters/Ipsos poll.
On September 21, U.S. President Donald Trump inaugurated a new helicopter landing pad on the grounds of the White House in Washington. During the ceremony, major television networks did not set up their cameras in protest against CNN’s ban from the White House grounds.
