Video: Trump inaudible as press pool boycotts helipad unveiling event
What's the story
United States President Donald Trump was barely audible during a White House event on Monday when he unveiled a new helipad on the South Lawn and interacted with construction workers before heading to New York for the United Nations General Assembly. This came after major television networks suspended pooled coverage in protest of Trump's ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico for promoting what he considered to be "fake news."
Coverage disruption
Trump's voice drowned out by Marine One
Due to the absence of TV pool cameras and microphones, Trump's voice was drowned out by Marine One in live footage.
Bianca de la Garza, a host at conservative outlet Newsmax, noted that there was no microphone because the press pool wasn't covering the event.
"So there is no microphone because the pool cameras aren't there. So, maybe, Tim, this is one example of it backfiring just a little bit," she said.
Pool function
Explaining the White House press pool
The White House press pool is a rotating group of journalists who travel with the president. They share reporting, audio, and video with other news organizations.
Without this pool, there was little independent broadcast footage of Trump's event.
C-SPAN also did not air the ceremony due to its reliance on the TV pool for coverage.
Twitter Post
Watch video here
LMFAO -- Trump is holding an event at the White House right now but there's no audio because the press pool isn't there. The Newsmax host notes that this is an example of Trump's attacks on the press "backfiring just a little bit" pic.twitter.com/dAy1dvDvFL
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 21, 2026
New platform
White House launches 'Trump TV' amid coverage boycott
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.
"No president is required to host a hostile outlet on White House grounds," the president said in a statement defending his decision.
In the wake of the coverage boycott, the White House launched "Trump TV," a livestream meant to transmit presidential remarks, and other related coverage.
Mayor's stance
NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani slams Trump's decision
The banned news outlets have filed a lawsuit under the premise that the ban violates free speech under the First Amendment.
In a joint statement, they said they were pursuing legal action to "defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports."
The five networks that suspended their White House pooled coverage of Trump and presidential events are considered the only ones with the money and infrastructure to distribute live coverage.