Trump’s new 24-hour White House YouTube channel launched to very low viewership numbers.
The White House launched its own 24-hour livestream, dubbed “Trump TV: The Essentials Station,” on September 21. The livestream offers continuous clips, speeches, and appearances featuring the president.
The launch came just days after Trump announced that CNN, MS NOW, and Politico would be banned from the White House over content he called “FAKE NEWS,” a decision that escalated further when ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox all suspended presidential pool coverage in response.
The White House pitched Trump TV as an alternative way for the public to see material from the administration directly.
The channel opened with unimpressive numbers
According to The Daily Beast, roughly 8,000 people were watching when the stream launched at 7 p.m. The number dropped below 4,000 within 90 minutes, then fell to 2,425 by around 10:40 p.m.
The numbers dipped even further the next morning, with a screenshot showing just 996 people watching as an older speech played.
For contect, the White House’s YouTube channel, where the stream is hosted, has over 3.27 million subscribers, making the live audience a mere fraction of its total following.
Viewership did pick back up to around 1,700 later, as Trump prepared to address the UN General Assembly.
The public had a lot to say
News of the low numbers quickly spread online and people across social media platforms had a field day.
“Finally! A way to turn Trump off!” one commenter wrote on Facebook. “I guess bots don’t watch TV either.” someone else added.
On X, one user reacted to the figures by writing, “Wow, a 1,000 watching, 100s of millions not.”
Reddit users also piled on, with one joking, “It only has one show on it. The Biggest Loser!”
Another did some rough math with the numbers: “8000 people tuned into Trump TV and after a couple of hours only 996 were still watching… so, like 20 Trumpers in every state.”
The White House’s defense
Deputy assistant Kaelan Dorr defended the channel’s purpose, saying the press had “in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record-breaking accomplishments,” framing the stream as a direct source for Trump-related content going forward.
Trump has also continued defending the broader restrictions placed on CNN, MS NOW, and Politico.
The three outlets have since filed a lawsuit challenging the ban, arguing it violates their First Amendment rights, with the legal dispute over their White House access still ongoing.
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