Trump's White House YouTube channel sees viewership plunge after network ban
The White House's 24-hour YouTube stream, launched after Trump barred several news outlets, attracted only a few thousand viewers and quickly fell to about 1,100.
After President Trump ordered the removal of one outlet, MS NOW and one outlet from White House coverage, the administration launched a 24-hour YouTube livestream called “Trump TV: The Essentials Station.” Deputy assistant Kaelan Dorr promoted the channel as a single source for the administration’s achievements. Viewership started at about 8,000 but fell below 4,000 within 90 minutes, then to roughly 3,000, later 2,425, and finally just over 1,100 in the early hours.
The channel, despite having 3.18 million subscribers, captured less than one-tenth of one percent of that base. The move came amid lawsuits from the banned outlets alleging First and Fifth Amendment violations, and it left the president without a traditional TV pool for coverage.
Why it matters
The story shows how a presidential media ban can backfire, leaving the administration with minimal audience reach.
In this story
Related stories
12 in this thread