Fox News joined the other major networks to stop covering President Trump live this week. This decision leaves the President with zero cable news coverage during his trip to New York. According to the Washington Examiner, Fox News declared on Monday it would skip the TV pool. This means millions of viewers lost their only way to see the President on cable television.
The President now has no live cable coverage for his United Nations address. It is a rare moment where the President cannot reach his base through the usual channels. The White House tried to use a smaller group of reporters, but the audio was too loud to hear. This technical failure showed how much the country relies on the big networks for clear sound.
The five major TV networks decided to suspend their shared coverage duties. This group includes ABC, CBS, CNN, NBC, and now Fox News. They issued a joint statement saying the public needs independent information about the government. “No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” the statement read.
The New York Post noted that this move happened right after Trump banned CNN and Politico from the White House. The networks said they were acting in solidarity with the banned outlets. Even though Fox News is often friendly to the President, they chose to follow the other groups. A White House official told the Washington Examiner that “Fake News has no place demanding a spot in the President’s Oval Office” They claimed the outlets can report from outside the building just fine.
President Trump did not wait for the networks to change their minds. He launched his own television service called Trump TV on Monday evening. The administration posted online that the new channel streams 24 hours a day with real-time updates. It features past moments and the latest announcements from the administration all in one place. Trump told reporters at Gracie Mansion that he was not worried about the boycott.
“It’s interesting because they said they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me,” he said. He pointed to the large crowd of reporters and claimed he won the election in a landslide. The President also criticized CNN and MS NOW for being biased and fake news. He contended that these outlets carry an obligation to be fair. If they refuse, he believes he has the right to keep them out. This move shows he is ready to control the message himself when others block him.
