In a rare act of collective defiance, the major television networks have withdrawn from the White House press pool, severing one of the oldest and most consequential channels between a sitting president and the American public. The move reflects not a single grievance but a deepening rupture — one serious enough to override the fierce competitive instincts that normally keep these institutions apart. The president, unwilling to cede the screen, has turned to alternative outlets and direct addresses to maintain his presence. What unfolds now is less a media story than a contest over who control