The first broadcast kicked off on Monday evening from Trump Tower and lead into the Republican candidate’s campaign rally. Despite quashing rumors regarding the launch of a news network, speculatively dubbed Trump TV, the new program will add fuel to the fire concerning Trump’s plans to offer an alternative source of media coverage to his followers.
The nightly show is being hosted by senior campaign adviser Boris Epshteyn, conservative commentator Tomi Lahren, and fellow Trump aide Cliff Sims. The first episode aired at 6.30 p.m. ET and featured guests Kellyanne Conway (Trump’s campaign manager), and adviser Jason Miller.
In his Facebook post announcing the show, Trump simply referred to it as part of his “campaign coverage.” Sims provided some additional information as to the motivation behind the broadcast in his introduction: “This is an effort by us … to give you the message straight from the campaign so you don’t have to take it through the media filter and all the spin … they put on it.”
Both Epshteyn and Sims hosted Trump’s previous Facebook Live news segment, which aired both before and after Trump’s final presidential debate against Hillary Clinton. The success of that broadcast (watched by 9 million viewers) undoubtedly led to the decision to create more live news content.
With over 11 million likes, Trump’s Facebook presence comes with a built-in audience. His campaign has already mastered live broadcasting, with a little help from Facebook and conservative media outlet Right Side Broadcasting Network (the latter produced Trump’s recent debates coverage). However, it remains to be seen whether Trump TV will expand beyond its current social media parameters. The answer will likely be revealed when the outcome to the general election has been decided. If Trump does end up at the helm of his very own news network, we assume he’ll have much to talk about.
