White House unveils state-run ‘TrumpTV’ media channel, drawing Iran comparisons
President Donald Trump’s latest venture is now live – a 24/7 stream of the administration’s “greatest hits” and “biggest moments.” It comes just days after the president banned three major news outlets from the White House.
“Effective immediately, I am banning Fake News CNN, MSNOW … and Politico … from the White House as a result of their constant “reporting” FAKE NEWS!” Trump said in a post on Truth Social last Friday.
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“Trump TV: The Essentials Station” launched on the White House’s app and YouTube channel on Monday. It was unveiled Monday at the same time Trump unveiled his new helipad on the White House lawn, sans a gaggle of reporters, since the press pool that covers White House events on a rotating basis has stopped covering them in protest.
“No Administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC said in a joint statement.
The three banned outlets, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, are all suing the Trump administration to regain access. Their representatives are set to be at a court hearing Wednesday seeking a temporary restraining order against the ban.
What to watch for
The first video to stream on Trump TV was a speech he gave at Mount Rushmore on July 3. It went live at 7 p.m. Monday.
Programming on the 24/7 stream will include “top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights,” according to its description on YouTube. It is not yet clear if Trump TV will air live events, but it did not livestream his speech at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday, though that was on a separate live feed on the White House’s YouTube channel.
“Not every big moment has made it on your tv, now it can,” the White House said in a post on social media.
The White House’s head of digital strategy framed it as a chance for Americans to get “unfiltered” access to big Trump administration events.
“The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments on behalf of all Americans,” Kaelan Dorr said in an X post.
State-run media accusations
Critics were quick to label the channel as state-run TV, with some likening the Trump administration to the regime in North Korea.
“First, Trump banned independent news from the White House,” Gov. Gavin Newsom, D-Calif., posted on social media. “Now, he’s launching what is quite literally state-run TV to try drowning out the fact that he and his corrupt administration are failing the American people. This is truly autocratic behavior from a failed President.”
Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, another Democrat, added the new YouTube channel to a list of other concerns he’s raised over the course of Trump’s second term.
“State run media, state owned enterprises, prosecuting political opponents, gifts from foreign countries, selling pardons, massive amounts of money flowing into the President’s bank account, and banners with his head plastered on government buildings,” Kelly wrote on X. “NONE OF THIS IS NORMAL.”
Former White House press secretary Stephanie Grisham, who served in Trump’s first administration from July 2019 to April 2020, also compared Trump TV to news outlets run by U.S. adversaries.
“You know who else does this? Russia, China, and Iran to name a few…” she wrote on social media.
Others compared it to Trump’s former television show “The Apprentice.”
“My God he’s done it,’ comedian Bridget Phetasy said. “He’s turned the White House into a reality show.”