The White House has launched a new Drudge Report-like website devoted to promoting pro-Trump news stories.
The site, called White House Wire, represents the administration’s latest effort to circumvent the mainstream media and present itself in a positive light.
The Trump administration has ruffled the feathers of establishment media giants by inviting Trump-friendly outlets and personalities into the White House briefing room.
It also has punished mainstream outlets whose coverage it doesn’t approve of — most notably AP, whose access it curtailed after the outlet refused to start referring to the “Gulf of Mexico” as the “Gulf of America” in its coverage.
The White House Wire, which has the url link WH.gov/wire, presents columns of links that send readers to articles.
“THE MOST SUCCESSFUL FIRST 100 DAYS IN PRESIDENTIAL HISTORY,” the site’s headline blared on Tuesday evening, linking to a Fox News article.
“24/7 FORTY-SEVEN,” read a ticker on the site.
“Border shutdown tops list of Trump’s successes at 100 days,” said one headline that linked to a Washington Times story.
“The President’s First 100 Days Is a Return to American Greatness,” said one that linked to a Newsweek op-ed authored by Republican Sen. Roger Marshall of Kansas.
Another linked to Trump’s interview this week with ABC News.
The website looks similar to the Drudge Report, the popular political website that also serves as a bulletin board for links.
The Drudge Report was once known as a conservative-friendly platform — it rose to fame in the 1990s for breaking the Bill Clinton-Monica Lewinsky scandal — but it has been critical of Trump in recent years.
A White House official said the site serves a key strategic purpose: To give pro-Trump influencers a central hub to disseminate Trump-favorable coverage.
“It’s a place for supporters of the president’s agenda to get the real news all in one place in a shareable and readable format,” the official said.
“The website will be a one-stop shop for news and is part of the Trump administration’s effort to provide transparency and institute policies that put America first,” they added.
Matt Drudge, the creator/editor of the Drudge Report, plastered his site with the news of the White House’s site. “IT TAKES AN ENTIRE WEST WING TO COMPETE WITH DRUDGE” he wrote.
He later joked to Axios: “I’m considering a $1 trillion lawsuit!”
