White House launches Trump TV amid media access row

• The White House launches Trump TV, a 24/7 YouTube stream featuring Trump and administration footage

• The media dispute deepens as CNN, Politico and MS NOW sue after Trump bars their reporters from the White House

• Gavin Newsom and former WHCA chief Weijia Jiang criticise the administration’s media restrictions

The White House on Monday launched Trump TV, a 24/7 video stream on YouTube featuring speeches, remarks and other footage of President Donald Trump and his administration, days after the administration barred reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW.

The inaugural broadcast, titled “Trump TV: The Essentials Station,” began at 7 pm with footage of Trump speaking at Mount Rushmore on 3 July. The White House described the channel as a platform to bring together the administration’s “biggest moments” and provide “top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights” on a continuous stream.

The same feed was made available through a YouTube window on the White House website. The site also carried a “White House Live” section that was marked “Off Air” at the time, alongside a chyron featuring official updates and statements highlighting the administration’s actions.

It remained unclear whether Trump TV would also carry live events involving Trump and his administration.

Earlier Monday, the White House promoted the new channel with a trailer posted on its YouTube account. The video featured clips of characters from popular films and television shows, including Seinfeld, Family Guy and The Dark Knight, watching television as The Buggles’ “Video Killed the Radio Star” played in the background.

The launch came shortly after Trump barred reporters from CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House press pool. Trump said the decision followed what he called the outlets’ repeated “FAKE NEWS” coverage of him and his administration, describing the move as the result of an accumulation of stories over two years.

The three news organisations filed a lawsuit against the administration on Monday, arguing that the restrictions violated their First Amendment rights and challenging the government’s role in determining which news organisations can report from the White House.

California governor Gavin Newsom criticised the launch, linking it to the administration’s restrictions on the three outlets and accusing Trump of seeking to promote government-controlled messaging.

Former White House Correspondents’ Association president Weijia Jiang also criticised the media restrictions, arguing that independent news organisations are essential to ensuring that the public can scrutinise government actions.

The launch of Trump TV adds a new official media platform for the administration as its dispute with several news organisations over White House press access continues.