President Donald Trump's new continuous livestream, called Trump TV, has struggled to attract viewers, with many people choosing to watch videos of natural sounds and wildlife instead. The White House launched Trump TV on Monday with a promotional video that included clips from popular American shows like The Simpsons and The Office. The stream was meant to serve as a central hub for "top past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration." The launch was accompanied by a promotional message on the social media platform X, but it seems that public interest lies more in relaxing content than in watching Trump's speeches. At one point, a video showing a black screen with only the sound of a box fan on high speed had more streams than Trump TV. On Thursday afternoon, Trump TV was broadcasting the president's speech at the University of Alabama's graduation ceremony from May 2025, but fewer than 700 people were watching the livestream. In contrast, thousands were watching videos of squirrels eating nuts and rain hitting a tin roof. A livestream of birds and squirrels snacking on seeds, nuts, and fruit had more than 2,000 viewers on Thursday afternoon. Meanwhile, a livestream titled "Rain Sounds for Sleeping" was generating more than 4,000 views. Trump's critics quickly took to social media to compare his new livestream to state-run media. California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on X that Trump had banned independent news from the White House and was launching "what is quite literally state-run TV to try drowning out the fact that he and his corrupt administration are failing the American people," calling it "truly autocratic behavior from a failed President." Liberal commentator Dean Withers wrote that Trump had banned CNN, MSNOW, and many others from the White House, and that the launch of Trump TV marked the point where "we live in North Korea." The launch of Trump TV comes days after the president banned CNN, MSNOW, and Politico from the White House for unfavorable coverage. The outlets argued in a lawsuit that this violated their First Amendment rights. Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social, that media outlets should not be able to "constantly write or report FICTION and LIES when they’re covering the President of the United States, the Trump Administration, or the United States of America." While Trump's disdain for the mainstream media is well-documented, the ban marks a significant shift in the executive branch's relationship with the free press. However, by Thursday, reporters for the three outlets were allowed back in the White House after a federal judge temporarily reversed Trump’s ban.