White House launches ‘Trump TV’ amid dispute over press access

The White House on Monday (local time) launched “Trump TV,” a 24-hour streaming platform featuring US President Donald Trump’s past speeches, administration announcements and updates.

Announcing the launch, the White House said on X that the platform would stream content around the clock, offering viewers access to major moments from Trump’s presidency, official announcements and the latest developments from his administration. It added that the service would provide access to significant events that might not have been broadcast on television, The New Indian Express reported.

The platform’s initial broadcast included recordings of Trump’s earlier public appearances, including his inauguration as the 47th President of the United States.

The launch took place against the backdrop of growing tensions between the Trump administration and major news organisations over access to White House events and facilities.

Earlier that day, Trump defended access restrictions affecting CNN, Politico and MS NOW. The three organisations have filed a federal lawsuit challenging the administration’s decision to withdraw access for their journalists.

Responding to questions from reporters outside Gracie Mansion after his meeting with New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Trump rejected the possibility of a media boycott, saying that organisations that had threatened to boycott him continued to cover his activities, pointing to the presence of reporters at the event.

Trump also argued that news organisations had an obligation to report fairly. Defending the restrictions, he said outlets he accused of publishing what he described as “fake news” should not be granted access to the White House, which he referred to as a particularly important institution.

The administration has maintained that the First Amendment safeguards the media’s right to publish but does not provide every news organisation with an automatic right to enter the White House grounds, attend briefings or participate in the presidential press pool.

However, CNN, MS NOW and Politico have argued in their legal challenge that the government cannot selectively determine journalists’ access on the basis of their reporting.

The dispute has extended to the White House television pool, which distributes shared footage of presidential events to participating media outlets.

Trump is in New York for the 81st United Nations General Assembly, where he is expected to attend the high-level General Debate and meet with several international leaders.