President Trump unveiled his new granite helipad on Monday, but none of the major TV networks carried the event as tensions between the media and the White House escalated.
Trump used a pair of golden scissors to cut the red, white and blue ribbon on the project he dubbed “a work of art” while surrounded by construction workers who built the White House pad, which features the seal of the United States and is estimated to cost $6 million.
The White House aired the event on its social media channels, but Marine One, sitting on the helipad behind the president with its engine on, was so loud that Trump’s remarks could not be heard.
There was no national media TV camera — and its powerful boom mic — to record the event and pick up his comments.
The TV networks, earlier Monday, announced the suspension of the TV pool, the dedicated camera that distributes footage of the president’s events with the wider press corps and outlets around the world, after the White House barred CNN from participating.
The White House shot back, saying in a statement: “Access changes are nothing new. What is new, however, is the sudden claim that it becomes sacred only when the outlets are friendly to the Radical Left. The rule was never ‘every outlet gets in.’ It was always ‘our side stays in.’”
The TV ban has far-reaching implications. Many news organizations rely on the pool footage for clean audio and video of the president. Reuters buys TV footage for its worldwide customer base to use on their news sites.
C-SPAN, a free cable service that airs government events, relies on the pool footage for its coverage.
“Without a pool feed, we will not be showing” the president’s event, the network noted.
After he cut the ribbon, the president walked down a line of construction workers, shaking their hands and thanking them, before boarding the presidential helicopter.
He departed for Joint Base Andrews to take Air Force One to New York for the UN General Assembly. He’ll also meet with New York City Mayor Mamdani.
The president boarded the new supersized Marine One (a VH-92A Patriot) for his short flight to Andrews. The helipad was built to accommodate the new helicopter, which is heavier and emits more heat, which would have caused damage to the grass on the South Lawn.
The helipad is just the latest construction project Trump has taken on in his second term, including building a new ballroom, constructing an arch and possibly razing the Kennedy Center.
It remains unclear how long the TV blackout will continue. The president has a busy week of meetings with foreign leaders in addition to his address to the UN General Assembly. Later this week he’ll host President Xi Jinping of China for a state visit.
“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,” read a joint statement from ABC News, CBS News, CNN, Fox News Media and NBC News, the five White House television pool members.
