Trump Administration's Own TV Ventures Struggle to Find an Audience
The Trump administration's self-produced, TV-style programming and streaming channel have drawn small audiences. Wired also notes the press secretary's removal after just five days in the job.
US President Donald Trump's administration has been trying, in his second term, to bypass traditional news media and reach voters directly with content modeled on familiar television formats. According to Wired, these efforts have so far drawn little viewer interest. The reporting comes weeks before the US midterm elections and contrasts with Trump's earlier fame as host of NBC's reality show The Apprentice.
A competition show with few viewers
On Tuesday, the US Small Business Administration (SBA, the federal agency that supports small firms) streamed an hour-long programme called the Million Dollar Pitch Competition. Five business owners competed for a share of a $1 million prize pool provided by the fintech company Clover Network. The judges were property investor Grant Cardone, rapper Nicki Minaj and Airbnb cofounder Joe Gebbia, and actor Dean Cain hosted. A day after the broadcast, the YouTube stream had barely passed 60,000 views. Reaction on X, a platform friendly to Trump, was also hostile.
Other projects
A month ago the White House launched a 24/7 "Trump TV" streaming channel. Its content has included border-agent footage and a recording of the president's February State of the Union address. Audience for The Real Food Show, a YouTube cooking series fronted by Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, has fallen since its July premiere; only six episodes have been released.
The one clear success was UFC Freedom 250, a mixed martial arts event held in June on the South Lawn of the White House and shown live on Paramount+, averaging 7 million viewers. That was a record for a live event exclusively on the streamer, but short of the Super Bowl records UFC CEO Dana White had promised to beat. UFC lost about $30 million on the event, and White has said he cannot afford to return to the White House grounds.
Press secretary Katie Zacharia, meanwhile, lasted only five days in the post: she was removed after a poorly received first briefing.
