White House launches Trump TV amid conflict with TV channels
The White House has launched its own 24/7 video stream called "TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station", which will feature speeches, statements and videos involving US President Donald Trump. The project started on September 21 amid a sharp escalation in relations between the administration and a number of leading American media outlets.
On the official White House website, the broadcast is described as a place where "key moments" of the administration's work, the president's main speeches and other videos are collected 24/7. The stream is updated in real time.
This is not a separate television channel in the traditional sense, but a continuous online stream of White House video materials. At the same time, the administration released a separate video titled "Trump TV is Here" and added the new channel to the live streams section.
The launch came a few days after Trump announced a ban on access to the White House for journalists from CNN, MS NOW and Politico. The president accused these media of spreading false materials and said he does not want to allow their representatives into the White House.
According to The Washington Post, on September 19, journalists from all three publications were practically unable to enter the White House complex. Their press passes were deactivated, and representatives of the newsrooms said they would challenge the administration's decision.
On September 21, CNN, MS NOW and Politico jointly filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington. They claim that the ban violates the First Amendment guarantee of freedom of the press, as well as due process requirements.
The conflict also affected the White House television pool. According to The Washington Post and CBS News, leading American television networks refused to substitute for CNN in the television pool after the ban on its journalists. As a result, on September 21, there was no traditional television pool at events involving Trump.
Trump himself defends the decision to restrict access. He says he supports press freedom, but considers CNN, MS NOW and Politico biased and accuses them of deliberately negative coverage of his administration's activities.
Thus, the launch of "Trump TV" became a new element of the White House's media strategy precisely at the moment when the administration and part of the largest American media moved from public conflict to legal confrontation.
Sources: White House, The Washington Post, CBS News
