Donald Trump made a major move against the media’s attempted blackout following his ban on some news networks by starting one of his own.
The White House launched ‘TRUMP TV: The Essential Station’ on YouTube at 7 pm ET Monday night.
The network began with a tease clips of several classic TV series, before cutting to a video of a speech given by the President at Mount Rushmore in July.
‘Welcome to TrumpTV. The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments on behalf of all Americans,’ wrote Deputy Assistant to the President Kaelan Dorr on social media.
‘Trump TV is a 24/7 livestream of the Administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered. All on the White House YouTube Channel and Official App. ENJOY!!’
The channel is similar to what many major music artists have done, a 24-hour continuously running playlist on YouTube of popular clips of the President and his administration.
The YouTube video caption reads: ‘Watch the Trump Administration’s biggest moments all in one place. Top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time. Stay informed and stay up to date!’
Trump is also launching a text messaging scheme that allows the MAGA faithful a chance to send messages to the President.
The White House promoted the launch ‘TRUMP TV: The Essential Station’ on YouTube at 7 pm ET Monday night
Donald Trump continues to work around the media’s attempted blackout following his ban on several left-leaning news networks by starting one of his own
MS NOW White House reporter Akayla Gardner was also seen reporting outside the White House from across the street having been denied entry
‘This is the official number of President Trump and the White House. We launched this number to stay directly connected with YOU, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE. We’ll share important updates and ways you can get involved,’ it read.
Trump banned the outlets on Friday, calling them ‘fake news’ and lashing out at their critical coverage of his administration.
‘It’s about basic fairness,’ Vice President JD Vance said of the ban on Monday.
‘They can still report. They still have the access to free speech. They’re just not going to get an office in the White House anymore.’
When reporters from the banned outlets appeared at the White House for work over the weekend, some had their press passes revoked.
The major broadcasters coalesced around the banned outlets and issued a blistering statement against the president’s decision.
Fox News , CNN, ABC, CBS and NBC, collectively known as the TV pool, are protesting the White House and have decided to not dispatch cameramen or reporters to cover the president on Monday.
This means that Trump’s trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly meeting on Monday will go unaired on the major networks.
CNN Senior White House Reporter Betsy Klein reports near the White House complex Saturday after having her credential was revoked by Donald Trump
CNN’s booth at the White House is pictured before the decision was announced
Politico White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett has also had her White House credential revoked following President Donald Trump’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico
Still, the conservative outlet Real America’s Voice (RAV) will be on hand to stream the event from the UN while local TV operator Hearst will cover the president’s White House events.
Fox News Washington Bureau Chief Bryan Boughton, who serves as TV pool chair and is responsible for the logistics of presidential coverage, confirmed the decision to not send any TV news personnel to the UN in an email sent out on Monday morning.
‘This is to advise that, effective today, the TV pool will not be covering events designated as pool coverage of the President,’ Boughton writes.
‘This follows the White House’s position preventing CNN from fulfilling its assigned pool duties. There will be no replacement pool put in place.’
It is unclear when the major broadcasters will resume coverage of the president.
CNN was previously scheduled to serve as the TV pool crew on Monday, but that was before Trump banned that outlet, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.
However, the official daily guidance sent out by the White House on Sunday stated that there would be no TV pool on Monday, leaving CNN’s rotation off the list.
Trump has also threatened to take action against the New York Times and the Washington Post.
The President has also threatened that other outlets could be next in the line of fire. He called the New York Times and the Washington Post ‘fake news’
‘The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government,’ they said in a statement. ‘No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.’
When pressed for comment, the White House responded with a social media post from the president published earlier on Monday morning.
‘The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,’ Trump wrote. ‘It is instituting an assault on the fake news, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America.’
‘It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, now!’
While CNN was banned from the White House, its reporters and crew still covered Secretary of State Marco Rubio as he opened the New York Stock Exchange on Monday, showing that the White House ban does not extend to other departments.
The three media outlets Trump targeted, CNN, MS NOW and Politico, announced they would combat the administration in court over the ban.
‘This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,’ they said in a statement released on Monday.
‘Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,’ the statement continued.
‘Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.’
US District Judge Timothy Kelly, who Trump appointed in his first term, is presiding over the case and is on familiar legal ground.
In 2018, he ordered the White House to restore CNN journalist Jim Acosta’s credentials after his press pass was pulled following a heated clash with Trump.
