Trump event goes without TV coverage after CNN barred from White House

The White House on Monday hosted its first presidential event without the usual joint television coverage by major US broadcast networks, after ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox declined to provide a replacement crew for CNN following its exclusion from the White House.

US President Donald Trump appeared at the inauguration of the new helicopter landing pad in the South Lawn of the White House before departing for New York to attend the United Nations General Assembly meetings and events.

The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by construction workers who carried out the project, but the event lacked the customary televised coverage typically handled by the rotating pool of networks. CNN had been scheduled to cover the president’s activities that day before being barred from the White House.

The White House streamed the ribbon-cutting on its social media platforms, but Trump’s remarks were unclear during parts of the event, as the sound of the presidential helicopter, Marine One, dominated the recording before his departure to New York. No news agency photographers were seen covering the event.

Trump later announced on his Truth Social account that he had left the White House lawn on the "first flight" from the new helipad, thanking Lockheed Martin CEO Jim Taiclet, as well as the construction workers and builders from the Washington area. He said the US government had considered the project for 25 years without completing it, adding, "But I get things done."

Earlier on Monday, the four networks announced they would not provide a replacement for the CNN crew assigned to the joint coverage of Trump’s activities. Brian Bonton, Fox News bureau chief in Washington and head of the television pool group, told members in a message that the group "will not, as of today, cover presidential events that would normally fall under the pool’s responsibilities," confirming there would be no substitute for CNN.

The decision followed the Trump administration’s barring of CNN, MSN Now, and Politico from covering the White House. The three organizations have filed a lawsuit in federal court in Washington seeking to restore their journalists’ access to the White House.

After the helipad inauguration, Trump traveled to New York for a two-day visit to participate in the UN General Assembly, where he is scheduled to address the assembly on Tuesday and hold bilateral meetings and talks with several leaders and political figures.