Once, Donald Trump’s skill as a television figure seemed unmistakable, at least to himself. When he announced his 2016 presidential bid, most Americans recognized him not for his bankrupt casinos or tabloid headlines but as the confident host of NBC’s The Apprentice, a show where hopeful entrepreneurs competed for a job in his real‑estate empire. Trump often bragged about the program’s primetime dominance, even though The Apprentice peaked in its 2003‑2004 debut and saw ratings slide in later seasons. His candidacy, driven by a willingness to dominate the news cycle, appeared to confirm his on‑camera charisma, though much of his polished image was the result of behind‑the‑scenes editing.
Today, that television firepower is hard to find. His most recent press secretary, Katie Zacharia, lasted only five days before being dismissed after a disastrous on‑camera briefing just weeks before key midterm elections. Trump’s own media appearances have become erratic and, by his own standards, embarrassing; he has been seen nodding off at events, claimed that NATO “gave” Greenland to the United States, and made crude remarks about Senator Jon Husted.
In his second term, the administration has tried to sidestep traditional media by producing broadcast‑style content aimed directly at voters, but the efforts have failed to attract viewers. On Tuesday, the U.S. Small Business Administration streamed an hour‑long “Million Dollar Pitch Competition.” Five business owners presented before three celebrity judges—real‑estate investor Grant Cardone, rapper Nicki Minaj, and Airbnb co‑founder Joe Gebbia—and vied for a share of a $1 million prize provided by fintech firm Clover Network. Actor Dean Cain hosted the program, which blended elements of Shark Tank and American Idol, but the result was a lackluster attempt to showcase the administration’s claim of reviving factory jobs.
The show even featured a brief clip of Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, speaking to an animated strand of DNA with the line “America’s DNA is small business.” The judges focused more on the presenters’ flair than on the substance of the pitches; Minaj asked whether one contestant, Marshall Sasse of a Wyoming pressure‑valve company, had any “cowgirls” to add “more punch to the pitch.” Although Trump did not attend the pitches, he appeared in short segments where participants met him in the Oval Office. When asked for advice on choosing a winner, he quipped, “You know, it’s interesting, because with The Apprentice, I had a very good term that I used: ‘You’re fired.’”
The YouTube stream of the competition struggled to reach 60,000 views, and even on the pro‑Trump platform X the reaction was largely hostile, with users accusing the White House of caring more about game shows than the nation’s cost‑of‑living crisis and likening the effort to dystopian fiction such as The Hunger Games.
Other media experiments have fared no better. A month after the White House launched a 24‑hour Trump TV streaming channel as part of its ongoing battle with mainstream outlets, the content has been unappealing even to the most loyal MAGA supporters. One Tuesday broadcast showed bland B‑roll of border agents patrolling the U.S.–Mexico wall followed by testimonials from people alleging that migrants had committed violent crimes. The following day the channel aired footage from Trump’s February State of the Union address.
Robert F. Kennedy’s “The Real Food Show” on YouTube, a cooking series in which the health secretary teams with chefs to demonstrate affordable, healthy recipes, has seen its audience shrink since its July debut, with only six episodes released. The latest installment featured Dean Cain and former bodybuilder‑turned‑actor Lou Ferrigno, perhaps an attempt to remind viewers of the celebrity ties that once bolstered Trump’s television image.
The sole ratings success for MAGA‑aligned media this year was UFC Freedom 250, a mixed‑martial‑arts event staged in June on a ring erected on the White House South Lawn. Although the UFC lost about $30 million on the spectacle, the fight set a live‑streaming record for Paramount+ with an average of 7 million viewers. The numbers fell far short of the Super Bowl figures that UFC chief Dana White had promised to surpass, and White later admitted he “can’t afford” another event in Trump’s backyard.
Overall, the administration continues to struggle to capture a genuine television audience without the guidance of seasoned producers who understand how to engage viewers.