Donald Trump's Media Ban Backfires: President's White House Helipad Launch Broadcasts Without Audio
Donald Trump's ribbon-cutting event on the White House Lawn was plagued with sound issues.
Sept. 22 2026, Published 12:42 p.m. ET
Donald Trump's media ban backfired spectacularly after the launch of his new White House helipad was broadcast without audio, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
On Monday, September 21, the POTUS, 80, unveiled his new $6million granite helipad on the South Lawn, surrounded by construction workers.
'Can't Hear What the President Is Saying'
Trump's speech was not picked up during the footage.
As the usual television press pool — featuring ABC, CBS, Fox, CNN and NBC — was absent from the ceremony, the White House livestream was carried by Trump-friendly Newsmax. However, their broadcast contained unusable audio.
Explaining to viewers why no sound was picking on Trump’s speech, Newsmax anchor Bianca de la Garza told viewers: "Okay, there is no microphone because the pool cameras aren't there."
"So maybe this is one example of this backfiring just a little bit... the ramifications are right here — can't hear what the President is saying," she added.
New White House App Launch
The launch of Trump's new helipad was not covered by major networks.
The footage quickly drew mockery on social media as clips of the event spread online.
Veteran Capitol Hill correspondent Jamie Dupree wrote: "Here is what happens when you don't have the White House TV Pool. You have video of Trump – but you can't hear what the President is saying."
Another X user posted: "He wants to be a dictator so bad he banned the Press without realizing it would silence his own voice!"
This comes as the White House launched its own app on Monday, promising "real-time updates and live events streamed DIRECTLY to your phone."
"No noise. Just the news that matters most — straight from the Trump Administration," the statement read on X.
Networks to Sue Trump Administration
CNN, Politico and MS NOW are taking action against the president.
It is extremely rare for a president to travel or make public appearances without the accompaniment of a representative from the White House television pool. Network cameras have provided coverage of the president since 1950.
Major TV networks suspended their pooled coverage of Trump in response to CNN, Politico and MS NOW being barred from the White House.
Trump announced the ban on Friday as he accused the organisations of writing "fiction or lies" about his administration.
The companies said their reporters were denied access to the building on Saturday.
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Media outlets have said they are suing the administration for the ban.
The three outlets have since said they will sue the Trump administration in a bid to "defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports."
"This ban could not be a more direct assault on the First Amendment nor a more blatant violation of our most fundamental constitutional principles," lawyers for the outlets wrote in a 27-page complaint filed on Monday.
Following the helipad debacle, the president did later appear on television following a meeting with the Mayor of New York Zohran Mamdani.
He told the president that all members of the media would be welcome at the press conference.
Trump said: "It's interesting because, they said they were going to boycott me, but they never boycott me, so I wasn't very worried about that. Look at all that press."
