Trump Bans News Outlets and Launches Trump TV

President Donald Trump banned CNN, MS Now, and Politico from covering him, leading the three news organizations to file a First Amendment lawsuit. The conflict disrupted presidential media access after CNN was blocked from its scheduled turn in the television press pool. In response, CNN, Fox News, ABC, CBS, and NBC collectively suspended pooled television coverage of presidential events.

To bypass traditional media, the president launched Trump TV: The Essentials Station, a live stream on the White House YouTube account. The channel has struggled with low viewership, falling from an initial 8,500 viewers to fewer than 200.

On Sunday, former White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt accidentally started an Instagram live stream while in bed with her daughter. The blunder briefly attracted 1,157 viewers, surpassing the viewership of the official White House channel. Leavitt later apologized, stating she had intended to edit a reel.