The launch comes amid an especially sharp confrontation between Trump and segments of the American media.
Over the weekend, the president announced that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would not be permitted to enter White House grounds, after accusing them of publishing "fake news" and negative coverage of his administration.
Subsequently, reporters from the three organizations arrived at the White House and discovered their access credentials had been revoked.
The Battle Moves to Court
The three media organizations did not settle for protest alone, and on Monday filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration in federal court in Washington.
They argue that their exclusion from the White House based on the nature of their coverage violates the protections the First Amendment provides for freedom of speech and the press. They are asking the court to restore their reporters' access to the White House. The administration, meanwhile, contends that White House access is a privilege granted to journalists, not an inherent right.
The confrontation expanded beyond the three media outlets. After CNN, which was scheduled to participate in the pooled television coverage of the president, was not allowed to do so, other networks including ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox News declined to replace it.
As a result, a ceremony Trump held to inaugurate the new White House helicopter pad took place without the usual pooled television coverage.
The event created an unusual situation: the White House broadcast the ceremony itself, but during parts of the transmission Trump's words were not audible, while cameras from the major networks were absent from the scene.
Trump's New Channel
Unlike a conventional commercial television network,"TRUMP TV" is essentially a digital feed from the White House, allowing the administration to distribute presidential content to the public continuously and independently of news network coverage. On the official White House website, the channel already appears under the live broadcasts page.
