WASHINGTON — The White House launched what it is calling "Trump TV" on the heels of President Donald Trump's ban on three media outlets from accessing the White House ‒ but so far, it's a lot of reruns.
Teased heavily by the White House ahead of its Sept. 21 debut, it turns out Trump TV is not on cable television. Trump TV is instead a new YouTube page operated by the White House that will have something streaming 24/7, even if it means digging into the archives.
Trump TV opened with a pre-Fourth of July speech Trump delivered this year at Mount Rushmore. On Tuesday morning, it was showing a speech Trump gave March 11 at a packaging facility in Hebron, Kentucky.
The White House
said Trump TV will be "24/7, updated in real time, with top past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place." It is also available on the White House's phone app.
"Not every big moment has made it on your tv, now it can," the White House said in a post on X as the streaming page launched.
The White House already livestreams most of Trump's public remarks and speeches, as well as other media events including White House press briefings. It's unclear whether Trump TV will expand its content further. The White House has not announced any additional staffing to operate Trump TV.
"The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments on behalf of all Americans," White House spokesman Kaelan Dorr said. "Trump TV is a 24/7 livestream of the Administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered."
The rollout comes after major television networks suspended their White House pool coverage and will no longer send camera crews to cover Trump's pool events, standing in solidarity with CNN after Trump denied White House access to reporters of CNN, MS NOW and Politico.
Trump has alleged the three media outlets don't report on his presidency fairly. The three media organizations sued in a bid to regain their access to the White House, citing freedom of press protections in the First Amendment.
The move from the five networks that make up the television pool ‒ ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News, in addition to CNN ‒ means a broadcast television feed that is distributed widely for media won't be carried for most of Trump's events.
The White House pool, which rotates daily, is composed of a small group of reporters given close face-to-face access to the president during events. The pool includes one network camera crew, which broadcasts a television feed that is shared with other networks.
The consequences of the suspended television pool were immediate. As Trump spoke at a Monday ribbon-cutting for his new White House helipad, the president could not be heard on the White House's livestream of the event due to the lack of boom microphones typically used by the pool.
And with networks opting out of pool coverage, no television crews are traveling with Trump in New York on Sept. 22 as he attends the United Nations General Assembly.
Reach Joey Garrison on X @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: White House launches Trump TV, a 24/7 'greatest hits,' after media ban
