CNN did not air President Trump’s address to the United Nations on Tuesday, but it was the only network to boycott the speech amid a media war between the president and the press.
Fox News, ABC, NBC, CBS and MS NOW banded together on Monday and refused to provide a pool camera for the president after he ejected MS NOW, CNN and Politico from the White House.
On Tuesday, all the networks except CNN aired Mr. Trump’s speech to the U.N. General Assembly live using a U.N. television feed.
The broadcast networks aired the address on their streaming video news channels. Fox and MS NOW aired the address live.
The news outlets accessed the address through UNTV, the United Nations’ television news feed, the official broadcast arm of the U.N. It distributes video footage and live feeds to global news organizations.
CNN anchors made no mention of the speech during Mr. Trump’s address. They aired segments about the coroner’s report on actress Hayden Panettiere’s fatal drug overdose and a grand jury’s decision not to bring criminal charges in the death of Mississippi teenager Nolan Wells.
CNN’s reporter at the U.N. gave a summary after Mr. Trump concluded the address. The network showed a clip of Mr. Trump telling the U.N. he believes he’ll make a deal with Iran after the midterm election.
Network pool cameras were not recording the U.N. address and are boycotting presidential coverage in solidarity with CNN, one of five networks that rotate coverage in the White House television pool.
First lady Melania Trump did not impose the ban on coverage of her public events.
CNN was scheduled to provide TV coverage of the president on Monday for all the networks. On Saturday, CNN’s producers and reporters were locked out of the White House and had their badges confiscated. Journalists from MS NOW and Politico were also turned away.
Mr. Trump said he kicked out the three news organizations because they produce “fake news” that is overwhelmingly negative in covering his administration.
The media boycott comes during a critical news week for Mr. Trump
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrives in Washington on Wednesday. Mr. Trump is expected to take the rare step of greeting him at Joint Base Andrews to begin his state visit. There will be a formal arrival ceremony at the White House and a state dinner.
As it stands now, network pool cameras may not be there to record the events.
The ousted networks sued to reinstate access to the White House and arguments are slated for Wednesday in U.S. District Court.
While at the U.N. on Tuesday, Mr. Trump acknowledged his ban of the three outlets would probably be struck down in court, but he continued to defend the move.
“We have the right to clean out fake news,” Mr. Trump said, answering questions from the press during a joint appearance with U.K. Prime Minister Andy Burnham.
On Tuesday, the Trump administration debuted Trump TV, a platform that streams “top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights” 24/7 in real time, according to the White House YouTube channel.
The website provided live coverage of Mr. Trump’s U.N. address and his public meetings Tuesday with global leaders.
The site’s inaugural broadcast featured Mr. Trump’s speech delivered at Mount Rushmore, followed by footage of the 2025 presidential inauguration.
A Trump-appointed judge is slated to hear arguments Wednesday from the media outlets that have sued to regain access to the White House.
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