Trump TV gets off to a rocky start with tiny viewership and vicious mockery

The White House debut of Trump TV, launched amid the administration’s feud with the mainstream media, was widely mocked online and compared to state-run television in North Korea and China. On Monday, the administration teased Trump TV - which runs 24/7 on the official White House YouTube channel - amid the fallout from barring MSNOW, CNN and Politico from the White House. In response, the outlets filed a lawsuit against the government, while ABC, Fox News, CBS and NBC suspended pooled television coverage in solidarity. But at its launch Monday night, Trump TV peaked at 8,000 viewers, dipping to around 4,000, according to figures reported at the time. Some 1,600 people were watching footage Tuesday morning from early in the second Trump administration, when footage showed the president signing an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico “Gulf of America.”Dozens of Democrats and other critics compared Trump TV to state-run media in North Korea, China and Russia.“First, Trump banned independent news from the White House. Now, he's launching what is quite literally state-run TV to try drowning out the fact that he and his corrupt administration are failing the American people,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom reacted in a post on X. “This is truly autocratic behavior from a failed President.”The White House debut of Trump TV, launched amid the administration’s feud with the mainstream media, was widely mocked online and compared to state-run television in North Korea and China (The White House)“So, state-run media. Donald Trump is the communist,” said the Lincoln Project group.“Days ago, Trump banned CNN, MSNOW and many others from the White House,” said liberal commentator Dean Withers. “Today, he’s announced State Ran Television. It’s official, we live in North Korea.”Dozens of accounts responded with memes, including one showing Trump’s face superimposed on that of a North Korean state television broadcaster.Others remarked that re-runs of old coverage do not equate to state-run media.Journalist Juliet Jeske said that she watched three hours of Trump TV on Monday night, which she described as “just old coverage of Trump someone posted on YouTube.”“Hardly anyone was watching it. There was also no added production value, correspondent or anchor. It looked more like a sad joke than state media,” Jeske wrote in a post on X.“Even diehard MAGA supporters don't want to watch old content,” Jeske added in another post.The White House teased Trump TV Monday following the fallout with the press after it banned MSNOW, CNN and Politico reporters from accessing the White House (AFP/Getty)Trump administration officials have touted the TV channel as an alternative to traditional news networks.“The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments on behalf of all Americans,” said Kaelan Dorr, deputy assistant to the president and deputy communications director. “Trump TV is a 24/7 livestream of the Administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered.”Some MAGA loyalists supported the launch of Trump TV, praising it as a way of “punching holes in the MSM propaganda.”“Support the President. Hit it where it hurts. Their ratings,” one conservative account posted.MAGA commentator Benny Johnson said the White House had successfully “trolled” Democrats with the launch of Trump TV. “Liberals have lost their minds over Trump TV,” he said. “The White House has perfectly trolled them again.”When reached for comment, the White House referred The Independent to Kaelan Dorr's remarks.The launch of Trump TV followed the White House’s promotion of its official app as a way to receive “the news that matters most — straight from the Trump Administration.”It provides access to official White House livestreams, Trump’s Truth Social posts and the president’s public schedule. It also includes sections outlining the administration’s positions on the economy, artificial intelligence, immigration and other issues.