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you → send → this
Today, all eyes are on Donald Trump at the United Nations in New York, even if there are no pool cameras to follow him.
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eyes → be → him
We look inside Trump TV, plus we have AOC’s almost too perfect quote…
When Donald Trump’s ban on three media outlets blew up into a bigger standoff over presidential coverage on Monday, White House officials were ready to roll.
At 7 p.m., a new channel debuted on YouTube.
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channel → look → YouTube
Trump TV promised a stream of the president’s greatest hits 24 hours a day.
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TV → promise → hits
But rather than a scrambled effort to run an end around the blacked-out networks, an insider told Secrets it was the culmination of months of preparation.
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it → scramble → preparation
“It was something that had been in the works for a while,” said a source familiar with the project.
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source → say → project
“It was waiting for the right time to launch.”
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It → wait → time
In fact, the idea has floated around since 2020.
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idea → float → 2020
Trump and his advisers weighed setting up a TV channel as he sought to stay in the spotlight and sidestep networks that he felt had betrayed him during the election campaign.
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he → weigh → campaign
The right time finally came on Monday evening.
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time → come → evening
The president’s surprise move to withdraw White House press credentials from CNN, Politico, and MS Now touched off a rare moment of unity among television networks.
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move → withdraw → networks
They announced Monday that they would not cover the president’s public activities as part of the TV pool — sharing footage with other broadcasters and outlets — while the ban remained in place.
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ban → announce → place
Trump cut the ribbon to open a new White House helipad.
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Trump → cut → helipad
But without the usual pool TV crew, with its boom mic and sound engineer to capture high-quality audio, his words were lost in the buzz of Marine One’s engines.
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words → capture → engines
A conservative writer saw the joke.
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writer → see → joke
“That could help him politically,” they messaged Secrets.
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they → help → Secrets
And then there was no one to film his departure on Air Force One to New York, despite reports that Real America’s Voice, a scrappy right-wing channel which was also due to travel with the president, was ready to step into the breach.
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which → be → breach
He has long wanted to rein in critical media coverage, believing that alternative channels, new media, and his own social media accounts should allow him to sidestep legacy players.
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him → want → players
But Secrets understands that first Karoline Leavitt, his press secretary until recently, and Susie Wiles, his chief of staff, had gently cautioned against blowing things up.
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Leavitt → understand → things
In the meantime, YouTube had been developing new features that could be used to set up something akin to a 24/7 Trump feed.
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that → develop → feed
There are, after all, hundreds of hours of Trump speeches, as another insider put it.
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insider → be → it
When things blew up on Monday, officials worked with YouTube to roll out the new channel.
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officials → blow → channel
“The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments on behalf of all Americans,” posted Kaelan Dorr, White House head of digital strategy.
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Dorr → report → strategy
It opened with the president’s July 3 speech at Mount Rushmore from earlier this year.
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It → open → Rushmore
Whether it is enough to satisfy a president who needs TV coverage for validation is another matter.
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who → satisfy → validation
Readers with a long memory may recall “From the desk of Donald J. Trump.”
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Readers → recall → Trump
It was a short-lived blog that was pressed into service when the president was banned from social media in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
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president → live → Capitol
Yet the moves this week come during what could be one of the most pivotal moments of his presidency, with the Chinese leader Xi Jinping arriving in Washington on Wednesday.
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leader → come → Wednesday
Trump shrugged off the idea of a blackout on Monday afternoon when he arrived in New York.
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he → shrug → York
He met Mayor Zohran Mamdani in front of a phalanx of cameras, which were not part of the White House pool.
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which → meet → pool
“They said they’re going to boycott me, but they never boycott me, so I wasn’t very worried about that,” he said.
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he → say → that
Whether or not any of this will provide the positive headlines he craves is another matter.
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he → provide → headlines
As Fox News pundit Brit Hume put it on social media: “If he thinks this will lead to more favorable coverage, I think he’s dreaming.”
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he → put → coverage
Trump’s busy day
Tuesday will be one of the very busiest for the White House TV pool, rushing in and out of rooms at the United Nations in New York to cover meetings with visiting world leaders.
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Tuesday → rush → leaders
This is what will be missing from pool coverage, although some elements will be captured by other cameras.
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elements → miss → cameras
President Trump delivers remarks to the United Nations General Assembly.
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Trump → deliver → Assembly
President Trump participates in a trilateral signing with the Prime Ministers of Denmark and Greenland.
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Trump → participate → Denmark
President Trump holds a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom of Great Britain.
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Trump → hold → Britain
President Trump holds a bilateral meeting with the Prime Minister of Japan.
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Trump → hold → Japan
President Trump holds a bilateral meeting with the President of Ukraine.
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Trump → hold → Ukraine
…and 13 more, not listed.
The Aporia
