White House promotes official app amid news outlet bans and criticism

The White House drew widespread criticism for promoting its official app days after President Donald Trump barred three news outlets from the White House.

“Get real-time updates and live events streamed DIRECTLY to your phone,” the White House wrote on X on Monday. It pitched the official app as a way to receive “the news that matters most — straight from the Trump Administration.”

The post came three days after Trump banned reporters from CNN, Politico and MSNBC from the White House, triggering a lawsuit from the outlets, which argues the ban violates the Constitution. The White House television pool also announced on Monday it would suspend coverage of presidential events in response to the restrictions. Trump said the ban was because of their coverage with critics blasting the decision and saying it goes against the First Amendment.

The White House’s post promoting its mobile app quickly drew a flood of negative replies, with some users comparing the effort in authoritarian countries.

“You’re making Vladimir Putin proud. State run Media,” political commentator Brian Krassenstein wrote.

“Why would I let your state media track my data?” another user asked. A third wrote: “I'd rather launch my phone into the sun than install a government propaganda app.”

Other critics responded with memes, including one showing Trump’s face superimposed on that of a North Korean state television broadcaster.

The app provides access to official White House livestreams, Trump’s Truth Social posts and the president’s public schedule. It also includes sections outlining the administration’s positions on the economy, artificial intelligence, immigration and other issues.

Other commenters questioned whether a new communications strategy could change public opinion, noting Trump’s historically low approval ratings.

“29 percent approval—and they think the problem is that we need more Trump on our phones,” one user wrote. “Nothing says ‘wanted’ like a government propaganda app nobody asked for.”

Not every response was negative, though. Some users praised what they saw as Trump’s effort to bypass the news media.

“The lamestream media just stepped right into their own graves,” one X commenter wrote. “What a brilliant move.”

It’s not clear how many people have downloaded the app, which has been in use for years. As of Monday afternoon, it ranked forty-sixth in Apple’s News category.

Soon after the White House promoted the app on social media, Trump held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a newly installed helipad on the White House South Lawn. No major television network carried the event live amid the television pool’s newly announced blackout.

The White House app did stream the ceremony, however. The video had 994 views as of Monday afternoon.