U.S. networks halt Trump coverage for a day, after White House bans three news outlets

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U.S. television networks staged an extraordinary revolt Monday when they effectively boycotted coverage of President Donald Trump in protest at his decision to ban three leading outlets from the White House.

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CNN, MS NOW and Politico also went to court after Trump on Friday ordered them to be barred, as the 80-year-old Republican stepped up his years-long assault on the U.S. media.

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As a result of the row, Trump’s opening of his cherished new White House helipad and his trip to the United Nations General Assembly proceeded without live television coverage.

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In a rare move, the top five U.S. broadcasters said on Monday that they were halting “pool” coverage of the White House — where a broadcaster films on behalf of all television outlets for the day — in solidarity with CNN.

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CNN had been scheduled to serve Monday as the White House TV pool.

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“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,” ABC, CBS, CNN, Fox and NBC said in a statement.

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The result is an almost unprecedented test of wills between the Trump administration and the press, in a critical week during which Chinese President Xi Jinping is visiting the White House.

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There may be no live TV of Trump’s meetings with foreign leaders at the UN in New York, an annual forum that is closely watched around the world.

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Meanwhile the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the giant granite helipad on the South Lawn was only streamed on the White House’s website — and Trump’s comments were completely inaudible.

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Several photo news organizations working at the White House, including AFP, decided to delay the release of photographs of Trump at the helipad in solidarity with the three banned media organizations.

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Trump was unrepentant, branding the media a “cancer” and a threat to national security.

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“The White House is not instituting an assault on the Free Press, something which I cherish,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.

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“It is instituting an assault on the FAKE NEWS, something that has grown like Cancer in our beloved United States of America.”

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On Monday evening, the White House launched a streaming channel, “Trump TV,” which it said would show “top videos, major remarks, and must-see highlights streaming 24/7 and updated in real time.”

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When it went online, it was showing archive footage of Trump delivering a speech on July 3 at Mount Rushmore.

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Vice President JD Vance — a former CNN commentator before his move into politics — accused the news outlets of disseminating “left-wing propaganda.”

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“They can still report. They still have the access to free speech. They’re just not going to get an office in the White House anymore,” he told reporters.