US President Donald Trump has faced further criticism after launching his own 24-hour television channel, dubbed 'Trump TV', following a White House media ban that left him speaking into thin air at a public event.
The blunder occurred after the US President barred several media organisations, including CNN, Politico and MS NOW, from the White House premises. This meant that when the 47th President of the United States attended a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new White House helipad, he appeared to be speaking without any microphones present to capture his remarks.
Media Accreditation Withdrawn
Various outlets had their press accreditation withdrawn over the weekend by the Trump administration after the US President accused them of hostile and "fake" reporting. Without a press pool in attendance at the event, there was no array of microphones positioned close by to ensure Trump's remarks were recorded and transmitted to audiences at home, with his words being lost amidst considerable background noise.
Newsmax broadcast footage of the peculiar incident, with presenter Bianca de la Garza stating: "There's no microphone because the pool cameras aren't there." She remarked to her co-presenter: "Maybe, Tim, this is one example of it backfiring just a little bit. Obviously, the ramifications are right here. Can't hear what the president's saying."
State-Controlled Channel Launch
This follows as the Trump administration has unveiled its own 24-hour television channel, called 'Trump TV'. The new service went live on Monday evening at approximately 7pm ET, according to a statement from the White House itself. The state-controlled media channel seems to broadcast a continuous stream of the Trump administration's "biggest moments all in one place".
The inaugural piece of content featured on America's new state-controlled media channel was a two-month-old address that Trump delivered at Mount Rushmore, back on July 3. Deputy assistant to the President, Kaelan Dorr, characterised the network on X as a "livestream of the Administration's greatest hits, unfiltered."
Comparisons to Russia and North Korea
On X, the White House portrayed the channel as "24/7 [coverage] 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."
Some have been swift to make parallels with Kremlin propaganda channels in Russia and state-controlled, heavily censored television in North Korea. On X, one user simply stated: "The Trump administration announces state-run media, similar to Russia and North Korea, launching 'Trump TV', its own 24/7 streaming channel of the administration's remarks and events, going live tonight at 7 p.m. [local time] and claiming 'just the news that matters most - straight from the Trump Administration.' This is the first time in US history an American president has launched a formal state-media channel in his own name. It comes three days after the White House banned CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, and hours after the five-network TV pool stopped covering Trump's events in response, leaving a White House event today with video but no sound. The White House is now broadcasting the President itself."
Another X user commented: "We're now at the "state-run media" stage of Trump's authoritarian takeover."
