Jimmy Kimmel has mocked the president’s new Trump TV channel after its already-small audience reportedly plunged by 95 percent in just three days.
The late-night host took aim at the White House’s 24/7 YouTube livestream during Wednesday’s episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live!, highlighting figures showing that the channel had attracted fewer than 500 live viewers by Wednesday morning.
“So far it’s going about as well as everything else with Donald Trump's name on it,” Kimmel joked.
“According to The Daily Beast, after just three days, Trump TV lost almost 95 percent of its already meager viewership,” the host continued.
“It peaked with an audience of about 8,500 people on Monday night. By this morning they were down to fewer than 500 viewers. The only channel doing worse is the Strait of Hormuz.”
Kimmel then concluded his monologue with a parody ad for Trump TV, which advertised MAGA riffs on popular shows like “The All-White Lotus,” “Survivor: Epstein Island,” “Pimp My Reflecting Pool” and “Orange is the New President.”
The launch of Trump TV came after the White House barred CNN, MS NOW and Politico from its press facilities, prompting those outlets to file a joint lawsuit against the administration. A federal judge ordered the White House on Thursday to restore the outlets’ access.
Dozens of Democrats and other critics compared Trump TV to state-run media in North Korea, China and Russia.
“First, Trump banned independent news from the White House. Now, he's launching what is quite literally state-run TV to try drowning out the fact that he and his corrupt administration are failing the American people,” California Gov. Gavin Newsom reacted in a post on X. “This is truly autocratic behavior from a failed President.”
“So, state-run media. Donald Trump is the communist,” said the Lincoln Project group.
“Days ago, Trump banned CNN, MSNOW and many others from the White House,” said liberal commentator Dean Withers. “Today, he’s announced State Ran Television. It’s official, we live in North Korea.”
Journalist Juliet Jeske said that she watched three hours of Trump TV on Monday night, which she described as “just old coverage of Trump someone posted on YouTube.”
“Hardly anyone was watching it. There was also no added production value, correspondent or anchor. It looked more like a sad joke than state media,” Jeske wrote in a post on X.
“Even diehard MAGA supporters don't want to watch old content,” Jeske added in another post.
Trump administration officials have touted the TV channel as an alternative to traditional news networks.
“The press, in some cases, reported inaccurately or not at all on the Administration’s many record breaking accomplishments on behalf of all Americans,” said Kaelan Dorr, deputy assistant to the president and deputy communications director. “Trump TV is a 24/7 livestream of the Administration’s greatest hits, unfiltered.”
