White House launches Trump TV as press pool fight escalates

Article content

See more Toronto Sun on Google — save as a Preferred Source

Article content

The White House launched Trump TV on Monday, a new streaming platform exclusively dedicated to platforming content from U.S. President Donald Trump.

Article content

Article content

The official X account of the White House announced the launch on Monday evening, saying the platform will be “updated in real time, with top past moments, announcements and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place. Not every big moment has made it on your TV, now it can.”

In an attempt to address the public directly, the streaming platform will feature past moments from the Trump presidency, alongside administration announcements.

Trump versus the media

The streaming platform’s launch came after Trump escalated his campaign against mainstream media outlets. The president has long referred to media outlets he doesn’t like as “fake news.” Last year, Trump banned The Associated Press after it didn’t adopt his renaming of the Gulf of Mexico to the “Gulf of America.” The Associated Press is still fighting the ban in court.

Article content

Article content

Trump took matters even further days ago when he banned journalists from CNN, MSNOW and Politico from White House grounds, reportedly after aide Natalie Harp — who was recently in the news cycle herself due to her proximity to the president — showed him clips of negative news coverage from those networks. Those outlets filed a legal challenge on Monday against Trump’s order barring them from the grounds, calling it a violation of their First Amendment rights.

Since then, other American major media outlets have rallied behind their counterparts in support. The New York Times and the Washington Post delayed distributing imagery from its White House photography pool on Monday. Members of four major news networks suspended their pool coverage of Trump, raising questions about how the president’s daily actions will be covered, but other journalists from print, radio and wire services will be in the pool.

RECOMMENDED VIDEO

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

Play Video

What is the White House press pool?

The White House press pool was devised during the Dwight D. Eisenhower administration to determine which of the hundreds of White House correspondents working for media outlets around the world would follow the president when he goes on the road or announces something at the White House.

Article content

News outlets and administrations agreed on a small group of correspondents, TV camera operators and photographers who would be in on those smaller sessions. The choices were left to the White House Correspondents Association, an independent group created in 1914 consisting of members who are accredited to cover the president. Typically, pool membership has rotated so as not to give the president the ability to select only “friendly” outlets for questions.

That seems to have changed with the Trump administration. The president routinely and often vehemently attacks journalists who challenge him. He saves particular rancor for women, using insults such as “terrible,” “obnoxious,” “stupid” and telling one to “quiet, piggy.”

Article content