White House launches 24/7 Trump TV streaming channel amid media ban

The White House has unveiled a 24/7 streaming channel called “TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station” featuring continuous video of President Donald Trump, administration announcements, major presidential remarks and footage of past appearances.

The channel went live Monday on YouTube and the White House website, days after Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds. The launch also came as US major television networks suspended their shared coverage of presidential events after CNN was blocked from performing an assigned pool duty, Reuters reported.

The White House said the stream would highlight the administration’s “biggest moments” and offer “top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights” around the clock.

Trump announced the media ban on Friday, claiming the three outlets had reported “FICTION and LIES” about his presidency. The groups have challenged the restrictions in court, arguing that they violate their First Amendment rights, Reuters reported.

The row has thrown the traditional White House television pool into disarray, a system in which participating networks share footage of presidential events with other news organisations.

The new stream gives the administration a direct way to distribute presidential video without the use of the traditional television pool.