US President Donald Trump was barely audible during live coverage of a White House event on Monday after major television networks suspended pooled coverage following his decision to bar CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House.During the event, Trump unveiled a new helipad on the White House South Lawn and spoke with construction workers. However, the sound of Marine One drowned out much of his speech with TV pool cameras and microphones absent.In a video shared bu Clash Report, Trump was seen cutting a ribbon on the walkway leading to the new helipad and interacting with workers. His comments, however, were inaudible on the White House livestream.Meanwhile, the White House subsequently launched ‘Trump TV’, a 24/7 streaming platform featuring administration announcements, presidential remarks and coverage related to the US President.The five networks that make up the White House TV pool – ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox News and NBC – suspended pooled coverage after Trump barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House grounds, citing “fake news”.“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organisation because it objects to its reporting,” the five networks said in a joint statement.The White House press pool is a rotating group of journalists who travel with the president and share reporting, audio and video with other news organisations. With the TV pool absent, there was no standard pool microphone or live feed to clearly capture Trump’s remarks during the helipad event.C-SPAN also said it would not air the ceremony because it relies on the TV pool and did not have a feed.The White House later launched “Trump TV”, a 24/7 streaming platform featuring administration announcements, presidential remarks and other coverage related to Trump.The episode highlighted the immediate impact of the White House’s press restrictions, with little independent broadcast footage available from the helipad event in the absence of the TV pool.
