Trump inaudible at helipad ribbon cutting amid press pool fight

President Trump was inaudible in live footage at a ribbon-cutting ceremony unveiling the new South Lawn helipad at the White House on Monday after major television outlets covering Trump said they would not participate in the TV pool over his ban of three outlets.

While Trump was seen cutting a ribbon on the walkway to a new helipad and speaking with construction workers, his remarks were not audible.

One host on the conservative outlet Newsmax pointed out in their coverage of the event that there was not a microphone because the pool cameras were not present for the event. A microphone from The Hill’s sister station NewsNation was unable to pick up clear audio either.

“This is one example of it backfiring just a little bit,” the Newsmax host noted.

The apparent audio mishap took place hours after Fox News, CBS, ABC and NBC announced they would not participate in the television pool covering Trump after he announced his ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico from covering the White House last week.

CNN was originally slated to be the out-of-town television pool for Trump’s trip to New York City for the United Nations General Assembly.

Earlier on Monday, CNN, MS NOW and Politico announced they were suing the Trump administration after being barred from the White House grounds last week.

“This morning, we notified the government that we are filing a lawsuit today to protect our First Amendment rights and defend the principle that the government does not decide what the press reports or publishes,” the outlets said in a joint statement Monday.

“Without notice or process, the White House revoked our journalists’ credentials because it objected to our reporting,” the statement continued. “Left unchallenged, this threatens press freedom and the public’s right to independent journalism free from government interference.”

Trump defended his move in a post on Truth Social, writing that he was not instituting an assault on the free press but rather an assault on the “FAKE NEWS.”