Trump TV: Internet broadcaster beams the ex-president's message directly to his MAGA faithful

OPELIKA, Ala. (AP) — On the second floor of a single-family home in a sprawling suburban development, a three-member production crew sat behind banks of computer monitors and guided the conservative Right Side Broadcasting Network’s coverage of a recent Donald Trump rally.

RSBN’s show director, whispering into a microphoned headset, instructed the camera operators and on-air correspondent how to shoot the scenes as Trump basked in the crowd’s adoration.

Otherwise, the room was quiet. The screens, all muted, were playing live footage of Trump pointing, waving and gesticulating. There was no need for sound — the director and producers have covered so many Trump rallies they seem to instinctively know what he’s going to say.

“If you’ve heard Trump’s speeches as often as we have, he does not need to be blaring,” said Joe Seales, RSBN’s founder and CEO.

In less than a decade, RSBN has gone from an upstart internet broadcaster to a major player in Trump’s MAGA universe, amassing more than 2 million subscribers on its YouTube channel and on Rumble, an alternative video-sharing platform.

As Trump’s loyal herald, carrying his message like a marathoner, live and unfiltered, RSBN has allowed the former Republican president to bypass traditional media and inject his vision for America directly into the veins of his diehard supporters.

The positive coverage has made RSBN a Trump favorite and a destination for his MAGA movement, a reference to the ex-president’s “Make America Great Again” slogan. Out of all the conservative news outlets Trump had to choose from, he picked RSBN to host a special in March from his Mar-a-Lago estate on the day before Super Tuesday, when presidential primary voters in 16 states cast their ballots.

And it all started when a freelance website designer with zero media experience had a brainstorm: There was a big audience for Trump TV.

Seales was a stay-at-home father in 2015 and was growing annoyed with the coverage of Trump’s first run for the White House. The big news networks, he said, refused Trump’s pleas to show the size of the crowds he was pulling in. He became convinced there was a sizable audience hungry for a steady diet of Trump’s rallies, town halls and other events.

Seales and his wife, a former Navy physician’s assistant who co-owns RSBN, started small, with a single camera at a Trump rally in Phoenix. Over the years, they turned a shoestring operation into one with 10 full-time employees and a house full of sophisticated computer and video gear.

Like other broadcasters, most of RSBN’s revenue comes from selling ads. The commercials that run on Seales’ channel skew to attract consumers of a conservative political inclination.

During a recent rally, a viewer was peppered with ads from the Birch Gold Group urging them to buy precious metals to protect their retirement accounts. “The dollar is going down!” the company warns.

Then came offers for a free “Kids Guide to President Trump,” endorsed by former Arkansas Republican Gov. Mike Huckabee.

Prominent election denier and MyPillow founder Mike Lindell smiles broadly in another ad, promising “Up to 80% Off Everything.”

RSBN has racked up more than 305 million views on YouTube since it launched. Still, banking on Trump is a risky bet. If he isn’t stumping for office, advertising revenue drops. RSBN, Seales said, has only been profitable during presidential election years.

“If Trump’s not on the air, we’re not making money,” he said.

Seales declined to discuss RSBN’s finances in detail. But he said a single livestream of a Trump rally can generate as much as $15,000 for RSBN.

“We’re definitely not making tens of millions, I’ll say that,” Seales said. “We’re making enough to get by and to get to each event.”

RSBN’s broadcasts have the vibe of a state-run propaganda program. But Seales denied the channel acts as a surrogate for Trump or his presidential campaign.

“We aren’t affiliated with them," Seales said. "We just cover Donald Trump. Our goal has never been to be an extension or a cheerleader for the Trump campaign. I just saw a void that I thought needed to be filled in coverage for him as a candidate. And we try to cover him as fairly and accurately as possible.”

RSBN is also not going to challenge the former president. The channel’s mantra is to let Trump be Trump. If he mangles the facts or ignores them altogether, which he does often, Seales said there are other news sites and sources where viewers can fact-check him.

“I don’t really feel it’s our place to call anyone out,” he said. “I like to let people make that decision on their own and to research the facts.”

That’s not likely, according to Ethan Porter, an associate professor of media and public affairs at George Washington University.

He cited a study of the 2016 presidential election that found less than 3% of people who read or heard false or misleading material also saw a corresponding fact check.

“There’s no reason to think that number has changed meaningfully since,” Porter said. “People exposed to misinformation rarely choose, on their own, to read fact checks.”

Jennifer Mercieca, a professor of communications at Texas A&M University and a historian of American political rhetoric, said Trump’s MAGA base flocks to RSBN because they trust him more than mainstream news organizations.

“RSBN is a pro-Trump propaganda channel, not an objective news source,” she said. "Avoiding the accountability of the press is great for presidential candidates and presidents, but it’s terrible for democracy.”

Seales invited The Associated Press to Opelika to watch coverage of Trump’s March 2 rally in Greensboro, North Carolina, and to trail an RSBN correspondent who conducted interviews with Trump’s faithful supporters outside the arena.

Relaxed and amiable, Seales was hands-off during the rally. He chatted with a reporter as the production crew worked. A devout Christian who plays golf regularly with his pastor, the 43-year-old prefers to stay in the background and leave the on-air reporting and commentary to others.

Seales’ reticence is rooted in his childhood. His father, Jim Seales, played guitar for Shenandoah, a Grammy Award-winning country act with a string of No. 1 hits in the 1980 and '90s. He was gone for long stretches, touring with the band.

“I could care less if anybody knows who I am,” Seales said. “I know what fame can do. It took a toll on my family, my father.”

That’s not the case with Seales’ on-air talent. His star correspondent, Brian Glenn, walked along the line of attendees in Greensboro that snaked through security barriers and stretched hundreds of yards around the arena.

While reporters from traditional news organizations generally avoid editorializing, Glenn promoted Trump and nodded approvingly as rally-goers spoke highly of the former president.

“Take a look at this line. It is insane!” Glenn said as the camera panned the throngs of people waiting to get in.

“We just got to get President Trump back in office,” he said a bit later.

He asked several people why the country needs Trump back in the White House without pushing back as their answers were livestreamed.

“He is a man with morals,” said one woman.

A man with “Ultra MAGA” stickers on his jacket told Glenn that Trump would “root the corruption out of the government.”

Glenn did not put the comment in context by noting that numerous former Trump administration officials, campaign aides and allies have been charged with crimes. Or that Trump faces dozens of federal and state charges related to hush money payments, the hoarding of classified government documents and a scheme to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Plenty of rally veterans consider Glenn a celebrity of MAGA world. Outside the Greensboro Coliseum, a woman rushed up to hug him. “I watch you on Facebook all the time,” she said.

Inside Trump events, RSBN has a prime position on the platform used by television networks. Below the platform at the Greensboro rally, a smattering of attendees stood at barriers watching and listening to Glenn’s pre-rally chatter as they waited to hear from Trump.

“It is the MAGA network,” Glenn told the AP. “If you follow Donald Trump and the America First movement, this is the network for you.”

Glenn is on intimate terms with a key member of the MAGA movement. He’s dating Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a Georgia Republican who is close to Trump. The relationship became a concern for Seales after Glenn kissed Greene on the cheek live on air at the end of an interview. A newly instituted rule prohibits Glenn from interviewing Greene on air, Seales said.

“I don’t like it,” Seales said of reporters or media personalities dating members of Congress. “But I’m not going to tell him what he can and can’t do in his personal life.”

Neither Greene's congressional office nor Glenn responded to requests for comment about their relationship. On a website where Glenn promotes a bottled water called “Freedom20,” he wrote next to a photo of himself, Greene and Trump that “Marjorie and I share a personal connection that goes beyond politics.”

The Opelika house hasn’t always been RSBN’s headquarters. Seales moved there for safety and privacy. He asked the AP not to disclose its precise location or to record video of the home.

The channel used to operate out of rented office space in an industrial park with its logo out front. The address was publicly listed, and jobseekers would drop in unannounced. Seales recalled a man once showed up in his pajamas and said he’d dreamed he worked there.

Far more troubling, Seales said, were threatening messages RSBN employees received. He described them as “pretty vicious and serious.” He said he couldn’t provide details because the messages were turned over to the FBI, which has launched an investigation, Seales said.

“We just try to play real safe with security,” he said. “In this political climate, it can be pretty nerve-racking.”

An FBI spokesman said the agency does not confirm or deny the existence of an investigation.

Seales has embraced the new location. In recent months, he has turned a bedroom into a studio to record podcasts. A news anchor’s desk, teleprompter and professional lighting have been installed in another bedroom.

But Seales said he isn’t sure how much longer he’ll run RSBN. He’s considering selling the company. Politics, he said, has become too vitriolic and has “taken enough of our life and our time.”

RSBN also faces an uncertain future. If Trump’s comeback bid for the White House fails, the channel’s main attraction will no longer be running for office. Should he win, RSBN’s status as the hub for wall-to-wall Trump coverage will be diminished as a global press corps tracks his every move.

“We have based our entire business model,” he said, “around one man doing one thing.”

Barrow reported from Greensboro, North Carolina.

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Joe Seales, owner of Right Side Broadcasting Network, sits for a portrait in a studio in Opelika, Ala., on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A new anchor desk is seen at Right Side Broadcasting Network in Opelika, Ala., on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

The company's logo is seen on a piece of equipment in a studio at Right Side Broadcasting Network in Opelika, Ala., on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Tyler, a director at Right Side Broadcasting Network in Opelika, Ala., works as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Jaden, a host and production assistant, works at Right Side Broadcasting Network in Opelika, Ala., as Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday, March 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., right, stands with Brian Glenn, a reporter for Right Side Broadcasting Network, at a primary election night party for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump in Nashua, N.H., Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2024. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Will Lawrence with Right Side Broadcasting Network prepares for Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump to speak in Rome, Ga., on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Joe Seales, owner of Right Side Broadcasting Network, sits for a portrait in a studio in Opelika, Ala., on Saturday, March 2, 2024. Seales and his wife, a former Navy physician's assistant who co-owns RSBN, started small, with a single camera at a Trump rally in Phoenix. Over the years, they turned a shoestring operation into one with 10 full-time employees and a house full of sophisticated computer and video gear. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

Monitors at Right Side Broadcasting Network in Opelika, Ala., display Republican presidential candidate former President Donald Trump speaking at a campaign rally in North Carolina on Saturday, March 2, 2024. In less than a decade, RSBN has gone from upstart internet broadcaster to major player in Trump's MAGA universe, amassing more than two million subscribers on its YouTube channel and on Rumble, an alternative video-sharing platform. (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Chinese Premier Li Qiang said he agreed with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese on Monday to properly manage their nations' differences as they emerge from a hostile era in which minister-to-minister contacts were banned and trade barriers cost Australian exporters up to 20 billion Australian dollars ($13 billion) a year.

Li, Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China’s desire to invest in critical minerals.

Li, China’s most senior leader after President Xi Jinping, arrived in the South Australian state capital of Adelaide on Saturday and the national capital of Canberra late Sunday in the first visit to the country by a Chinese premier in seven years.

Li told reporters after Monday's meeting that the bilateral relationship was “on the right track of steady improvement and development.”

“We ... had a candid exchange of views on some differences and disagreements and agreed to properly manage them in a manner befitting our comprehensive strategic partnership,” Li said through an interpreter.

Albanese, who in November last year became the first Australian prime minister to visit China since 2016, described the discussions as “constructive.”

“Australia advocates that we should all work together to promote a regional balance where no country dominates and no country is dominated,” Albanese said.

“I’ve made it clear as nations with different histories, political systems and values, we will cooperate with China where we can, disagree where we must and engage in the national interest,” the Australian leader added.

Their relations have improved markedly since Albanese’s center-left Labor Party was elected in 2022 following nine years of conservative government in Australia.

Most of the official and unofficial trade barriers Beijing introduced in 2020 on coal, cotton, wine, barley and wood have been lifted since Albanese was elected.

Beijing had banned minister-to-minister contacts as it froze out the previous Australian government diplomatically.

Agriculture Minister Murray Watt said before the meeting that he would raise the issue of China's ban on Australian rock lobsters and exports from two beef processing plants.

“The mere fact that we have the first visit by a Chinese premier, the second-most powerful person in China, ... since 2017 is an enormous opportunity to continue that dialogue, to continue stabilizing our relationship and address some of the outstanding issues,” Watt said.

Li was served lobster at a business lunch with winemakers on Sunday and wagyu beef at a state lunch Monday, news media reported.

Li planned to underscore China’s interest in buying a bigger stake in Australia’s critical minerals sector, which is essential to the global transition to renewable energy sources, by visiting a Chinese-controlled lithium processing plant in Western Australia state Tuesday.

Li visited New Zealand before Australia and is scheduled to stop in Malaysia late Tuesday before returning to China.

Australia shares U.S. concerns over China’s global dominance in critical minerals and control over supply chains in the renewable energy sector.

Citing Australia’s national interests, Treasurer Jim Chalmers recently ordered five Chinese-linked companies to divest their shares in the rare earth mining company Northern Minerals.

Watt said Chinese investment was not banned from the sector, but must meet national security criteria.

Albanese later told Li at a state lunch, "We won't always agree and the points on which we disagree won’t simply disappear if we leave them in silence.”

That appeared to be in response to a statement by Li, released by the Chinese Embassy in Canberra on Sunday, that he recommended “shelving differences” between the two countries in the interests of bolstering relations.

Albanese confirmed he had raised with Li recent clashes between the two countries’ militaries in the South China Sea and Yellow Sea that Australia argues endangered Australian personnel.

Chinese and Australian officials had agreed at the meeting to discuss improving military-to-military communications to avoid unintended incidents, Albanese said.

Relations tumbled over Australian legislation that banned covert foreign interference in Australian politics, the exclusion of Chinese-owned telecommunications giant Huawei from rolling out the national 5G network due to security concerns, and Australia’s call for an independent investigation into the causes of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Benjamin Herscovitch, a China expert at Australian National University, said he did not expect China to get any firm commitments from Australia during Li’s visit.

The two countries signed several agreements on Monday to cooperate on trade, education, climate change, culture and intellectual property.

Beijing would like to remove Australian opposition to China joining a trade bloc known as the CPTPP, more investment in Australian critical minerals and ambitious new cooperative agreements on science and technology, Herscovitch said.

But Australia had already made a concession to China in rebuilding relations through inaction by not imposing sanctions on Chinese entities that help Russia’s war effort in Ukraine, he said.

“Australia is essentially giving China a free pass on that issue,” Herscovitch said, while Australian allies, including the United States, Britain and the European Union were imposing sanctions.

Hundreds of pro-China demonstrators, human rights activists and democracy advocates have lined the routes of Li’s cavalcades in Adelaide and Canberra.

Australia's Governor-General David Hurley drives with China's Premier Li Qiang, left, to look for kangaroos at Government House in Canberra, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li says he has agreed with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to properly manage their nations' differences as they emerge from a hostile era in which minister-to-minister contacts were banned and trade barriers cost Australian exporters up to $13 billion a year. (Mick Tsikas/Pool Photo via AP)

Supporters of Chinese Premier Li Qiang wait for his motorcade to pass outside Government House in Canberra, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li says he has agreed with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to properly manage their nations' differences as they emerge from a hostile era in which minister-to-minister contacts were banned and trade barriers cost Australian exporters up to $13 billion a year. (Mick Tsikas/Pool Photo via AP)

Police keep watch over pro-China supporters and anti-China protesters rally outside Parliament House ahead of the visit by China's Premier Li Qiang in Canberra, Monday, June 17, 2024. Premier Li, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

Pro-China supporters and anti-China protesters rally outside Parliament House ahead of the visit by China's Premier Li Qiang in Canberra, Monday, June 17, 2024. Premier Li, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Mick Tsikas/AAP Image via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands after making opening remarks at Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, June 17, 2024. (Mick Tsikas/Pool Photo via AP)

Pro China and pro Hong Kong supporters wait outside a winery where Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited in Adelaide, Australia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kelly Barnes, Pool)

Police watch as pro China and pro Hong Kong supporters wait outside a winery where Chinese Premier Li Qiang visited in Adelaide, Australia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Kelly Barnes, Pool)

A pro-Hong Kong protestor holds a placard ahead of a visit by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Adelaide Zoo, Australia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Li is on a relations-mending mission with panda diplomacy, rock lobsters and China's global dominance in the critical minerals sector high on the agenda during his four day visit to Australia. (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Pool Photo via AP)

Protesters hold placards ahead of the vist by Chinese Premier Li Qiang to Adelaide Zoo, Australia, Sunday, June 16, 2024. Li is on a relations-mending mission with panda diplomacy, rock lobsters and China's global dominance in the critical minerals sector high on the agenda during his four day visit to Australia. (Asanka Brendon Ratnayake/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li, Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Mick Tsikas/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, right, signs the visitor book as Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese looks on at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li, Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Mick Tsikas/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese shake hands at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li, Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Mick Tsikas/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang signs the visitor book at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Mick Tsikas/Pool Photo via AP)

Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, left, gestures to Chinese Premier Li Qiang after he signed the visitor's book at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li and Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Mick Tsikas/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspects a guard of honor outside Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Lukas Coch/Pool Photo via AP)

A gun salute as Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspects a guard of honor outside Parliament House in Canberra, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Lukas Coch/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang inspects a guard of honor outside Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Lukas Coch/Pool Photo via AP)

Chinese Premier Li Qiang, right, speaks across the table to Australian Prime Minster Anthony Albanese during a leaders meeting at Parliament House in Canberra, Australia, Monday, June 17, 2024. Li, Albanese and senior ministers of both administrations met at Parliament House on Monday to discuss thorny issues, including lingering trade barriers, conflict between their militaries in international waters and China's desire to invest in critical minerals. (Lukas Coch/Pool Photo via AP)