Washington DC - The White House launched its own online streaming channel – "Trump TV" – on Monday as a dispute with major media outlets escalated after President Donald Trump barred journalists from three organizations from the White House.

The channel went live on Monday evening, initially broadcasting speeches by Trump as well as footage of US military exercises accompanied by commentary praising the armed forces' capabilities.

In a post on X, the White House said the stream would run around the clock, featuring "past moments, announcements, and the latest and greatest from the administration all in one place."

No original productions or journalistic programming were initially aired. The White House has already provided a livestream of Trump's appearances for some time.

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The Trump TV launch comes after Trump announced on Friday that he was revoking White House access for journalists from CNN, MS NOW, and Politico, escalating a long-running dispute with the media.

Trump accused the outlets of spreading fake news. Critics see the move as an attempt at intimidation and an attack on press freedom. 

On Monday, the three outlets filed a lawsuit against the administration, saying its actions threaten "press freedom and the public's right to independent journalism free from government interference."

Other major broadcasters responded by scaling back their coverage of the president. The New York Times and the Washington Post also reduced their photo coverage of Trump on Monday in protest.

The changes had an immediate effect. At a press event on Monday, Trump spoke for several minutes but could not be heard on the White House livestream. Journalists from the major outlets were not present with their own cameras and microphones, as they typically are.

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The major television broadcasters take turns providing coverage of presidential events in what is known as White House pool coverage, whereby they share the footage with other outlets.

Trump had recently accused leading media not only of deliberately spreading false reports, but also of failing to cover his achievements sufficiently. The White House said Trump TV would change that: "Not every big moment has made it on your tv, now it can."