White House Launches Trump TV After Major Networks Boycott Coverage

On Monday, a new channel named Trump TV debuted on YouTube, offering a 24-hour livestream of President Donald Trump's “greatest hits.”

An insider familiar with the project stated it was the culmination of months of preparation, waiting for the right time to launch. The idea for a Trump TV channel had existed since 2020. The launch followed Trump's decision on Friday to ban CNN, Politico, and MS Now from the White House. In response, major television networks, including NBC, ABC, CBS, and Fox News, suspended their pooled coverage of Trump on Monday.

The White House television pool, which includes these networks, announced there would be no replacement to cover Trump's trip to New York for the UN General Assembly. The three banned outlets filed a federal lawsuit against the Trump administration on Monday, alleging First Amendment and due-process violations. A judge set a hearing for the lawsuit for Wednesday.

The White House teased the launch of Trump TV with images of a disconnected TV and a truck with a satellite dish. Trump's deputy assistant Kaelan Dorr promoted the stream as a one-stop shop for administration accomplishments, claiming the press reported inaccurately or not at all. The channel launched at 7 p.m. with around 8,000 viewers, but viewership dropped to below 4,000 within 90 minutes and below 1,000 by early Tuesday morning.

The initial broadcast featured an 80-day-old speech from July 3 at Mount Rushmore. Trump announced the ban on Truth Social, citing “FICTION and LIES” from the outlets. Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended the ban, stating Trump was not closing outlets or arresting reporters, but merely restricting access to the White House workspace. Legal experts, including Tiana Lowe Doescher and Scott Jennings, stated Trump is “unlikely to prevail in court” on the press ban.

Jennings also suggested the ban would give Trump “less reach” and that his message would not get out as much. The banned outlets argue the move is a “direct assault on the First Amendment” and violates their constitutional rights.