White House launches Trump TV as banned outlets sue and networks pause pool coverage
The White House has launched its own 24-hour livestream, Trump TV, at the same time as three news organisations are barred from covering the president.
The channel went live on Monday at 7 p.m. ET, according to Variety. Its schedule mixes reruns of Donald Trump’s speeches with live coverage of events featuring administration officials.
The first video on the stream was Trump’s 3 July 2026 speech at Mount Rushmore. The White House bills the feed as TRUMP TV: The Essentials Station, with a page for the channel dated 21 September 2026. On YouTube, the White House describes it as streaming top videos, major remarks and highlights 24/7 and updated in real time, according to YouTube.
White House head of digital strategy Kaelan Dorr called it a 24/7 livestream of the administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered.
The launch follows a ban announced on 18 September 2026. Trump said CNN, MS NOW and Politico would no longer cover the White House, according to Reuters. Journalists from the three outlets were then turned away on 19 September.
CNN, MS NOW and Politico have sued Trump over the ban. The suit alleges a breach of their First Amendment rights, meaning free speech and free press protections. It also alleges a breach of due process protections, meaning fair procedure, according to CNN. The outlets are asking the court to restore their access, according to ABC News.
Four other broadcasters responded on Monday. ABC News, CBS News, NBC News and Fox News said they were suspending pool coverage of the president over the ban. Pool coverage is the system where a small rotating group attends events and shares pictures, sound and notes with everyone else.
Reaction was sharp. California Governor Gavin Newsom criticised the Trump TV launch as state-run TV and called it autocratic behaviour. CBS News senior White House correspondent Weijia Jiang said on Fox News Sunday that America cannot have state TV when discussing the ban.
The White House published a release on 21 September titled “White House Access Is a Privilege — Not a Right.”
For viewers, this means two pictures of the presidency are now running side by side. One is the new White House feed. The other is a smaller press pool, with four networks holding back their shared coverage in protest.
Trump TV is carried on the White House Live News page, which also offers a Subscribe to live alerts option, and on the official @WhiteHouse YouTube channel. The channel’s streams page listed President Trump Delivers Remarks on 22 September 2026.
