Trump humiliated over broadcast blunder after media ban

Donald Trump’s decision to ban three news organisations from the White House appeared to backfire on Monday when a broadcast of his latest ceremony went out without usable audio.

The US President was unveiling a new granite helipad on the White House’s South Lawn, surrounded by construction workers, when the problem became apparent.

Footage showed Trump speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony, but viewers watching the White House’s own livestream could not hear his remarks.

The usual television press pool was absent after major US networks suspended their shared coverage in response to the administration’s ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico.

The pool, which includes ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN and NBC, normally provides footage and audio of presidential events for broadcasters to share.

CNN had been due to cover Monday’s events, but the White House removed it from the schedule following the ban.

The other networks declined to provide a replacement, leaving the administration to broadcast the helipad ceremony using its own equipment.

The problem was apparent even on Newsmax, a broadcaster generally supportive of Trump, which aired footage of the President speaking but could not carry his comments.

A presenter told viewers: “Okay, there is no microphone because the pool cameras aren’t there.”

The presenter added: “So maybe this is one example of this backfiring just a little bit.”

Clips of the ceremony subsequently drew criticism and mockery on social media.

The broadcasting dispute began after Trump announced on Friday that he was banning CNN, MS NOW and Politico from the White House, accusing the organisations of producing what he called fake news.

Journalists from the three outlets were turned away over the weekend, and the organisations filed a lawsuit against the administration on Monday.

The networks’ decision to suspend presidential pool coverage followed CNN being prevented from carrying out its scheduled duties.

Fox News Washington bureau chief Bryan Boughton, who chairs the television pool, confirmed that no replacement would be provided.

The helipad ceremony offered an immediate example of the practical problems caused by the dispute, with Trump’s remarks effectively lost to viewers watching the broadcast.