President Donald Trump’s escalating fight with the White House press corps had an immediate consequence Monday: People could see the president — but they couldn’t hear what he was saying.
Clips from Trump’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for a newly constructed White House helipad quickly spread across social media, where journalists, commentators and even some of the president’s supporters pointed out that his remarks were largely drowned out.
Newsmax ran into the same problem while airing footage of the ceremony.
“There’s no microphone because the pool cameras aren’t there,” a Newsmax anchor said during the network’s coverage. Another host suggested the standoff was “backfiring just a little bit.”
Trump supporter Nick Sortor also posted video from the event, but acknowledged that the roar of Marine One made the president impossible for him to understand.
“Marine One is VERY loud though, so I have NO idea what POTUS is saying,” Sortor wrote.
Others simply found the whole event “hilarious” (Carrie Coon) and ironic (“Trump is silenced by the very people he tried to silence,” one observer wrote.)
The reactions offered an early glimpse of the consequences of the escalating standoff between the White House and the television networks. The networks suspended TV pool coverage after warning against government interference with independent reporting, but the move also means the independent television coverage they normally provide is no longer available at some presidential events.
That could become more consequential this week as Trump attends the United Nations General Assembly in New York, where CNN had also been scheduled to provide pooled television coverage.
CNN was scheduled to handle White House TV pool duties Monday. But after Trump banned CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House over their coverage, ABC News, CBS News, Fox News and NBC News declined to replace CNN’s camera crew.
“The public has a vital interest in receiving accurate, independent information about its government. No administration should restrict a news organization because it objects to its reporting,” the five networks said in a joint statement provided to TheWrap.
The five-network television pool rotates responsibility for providing camera coverage of the president in settings where every outlet cannot bring its own crew. The designated network then distributes its video and audio to the rest of the pool.
The standoff is also playing out in court. CNN, MS NOW and Politico filed a federal lawsuit Monday arguing that the administration violated their First Amendment and due process rights by revoking their White House access.
A hearing on the outlets’ request for a temporary restraining order is scheduled for Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. ET.
