Americans share their biggest fear as White House launches Trump TV
Trump TV has many prompted a chilling comparison among a number of Americans.
Dubbed Trump TV: The Essentials Station, the 24/7 White House-run online video stream provides messages directly to viewers rather than through independent news broadcasters.
Its launch came shortly after Donald Trump announced CNN, MS NOW, and Politico would be banned from the White House, calling them 'Fake News.'
Announcing the launch, the White house took to X, formerly known as Twitter to write: "TRUMP TV IS STREAMING NOW. 24/7, updated in real time, with top past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place.
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"Not every big moment has made it on your tv, now it can."
The drama went one step further when ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox suspended presidential pool coverage.
In joint statement the outlets said: “The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting.”
However, Trump TV didn't receive the response the president may have hoped, with many Americans are comparing the broadcaster to 'state-run media.'
State-run media refers to media that is funded, owned or heavily controlled by the government.
California governor, Gavin Newsom, was among those who made the comparison, as he described the launch as 'quite literally state-run TV' and said it was 'truly autocratic behavior.'
Weijia Jiang, CBS News’ senior White House correspondent said: “America cannot have state TV.
“That’s what makes America America… because you need independent actors to be able to be the observers. And if the government is only showing you what it wants, then you have to question: What are we missing?”
Many agreed with the remarks, as one social media user wrote: "First in my generation to witness the launch of a State-run TV channel named after a sitting president in a democracy."
Another echoed: "Just pathetic. State run TV. Will end up being a history joke."
Some critics even compared it to media under a dictatorship.
However, Trump took to Truth Social to defend the channel, as he said that he 'cherishes the Free Press.'
"The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish. It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS.
"It is instituting an assault on the fake news, something that has grown like cancer in our beloved United States of America," he continued.
The president later claimed: "It is corrupt, purposeful, pervasive, fully coordinated, and totally out of control. It is a threat to our National Security, and must be stopped, now!"
Trump TV launch figures revealed
Shortly after the launch, it was revealed by The Daily Beast, that around 8,000 people were watching when the stream launched at 7pm. However, it didn't look like the channel were doing enough to keep the attention of the viewers, with the number falling by half after 90 minutes.
By around 10.40pm, the audience had dropped to 2,425 viewers, while just 1,123 were reportedly tuned in at approximately 3.30am.The stream later recovered to just under 2,000 viewers.
Topics: Donald Trump, US News
Kiesha Dosanjh