The White House recently launched a new 24/7 livestream called Trump TV in response to its decision to ban several mainstream media outlets, including MSNOW, CNN, and Politico. The stream is available on the official White House YouTube channel and was quickly criticized online, with some comparing it to state-run television in countries like North Korea and China. Critics noted that the stream had very low viewership from the start, with the channel peaking at just 8,000 viewers on its first night, according to early reports. By Tuesday morning, only around 1,600 people were watching footage from the early days of the second Trump administration, including the president signing an executive order to rename the Gulf of Mexico “Gulf of America.” The Trump administration announced Trump TV as part of its broader response to what it calls biased mainstream media coverage. The White House described the stream as an alternative to traditional news networks, emphasizing that it would showcase the administration's achievements without “filtering” or “inaccurate” reporting. Kaelan Dorr, the deputy communications director, said the media had “reported inaccurately or not at all” on the administration’s accomplishments. Trump TV is described as a “24/7 livestream of the Administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered.” Many Democrats and critics compared Trump TV to state-run media in authoritarian regimes. California Governor Gavin Newsom called the launch “autocratic behavior from a failed President,” while the Lincoln Project, a group opposed to Trump, claimed, “Donald Trump is the communist.” Liberal commentator Dean Withers said Trump had “launched State Run Television,” and social media users responded with memes, including one that superimposed Trump’s face onto a North Korean state television broadcaster. Some observers noted that Trump TV primarily featured reruns of old footage, with journalist Juliet Jeske describing it as “just old coverage of Trump someone posted on YouTube.” She added that it “looked more like a sad joke than state media.” Supporters of President Trump, particularly those aligned with the MAGA movement, praised the launch as a way to counter what they call “mainstream media propaganda.” Some conservative commentators suggested that the White House had “trolled” Democrats with the stream, and MAGA commentator Benny Johnson said, “Liberals have lost their minds over Trump TV.” The White House referenced Kaelan Dorr’s comments when asked for an official response. The launch of Trump TV followed the promotion of the White House’s official app, which provides access to livestreams, Trump’s posts on Truth Social, and the president’s public schedule. The app also includes sections outlining the administration’s positions on topics like the economy, artificial intelligence, and immigration.