American Channels Go On Break As William Ruto Starts His Address At White House

• Ruto and Mama Rachel arrived at Joint Andrews Air Force Base in Washington DC, where they were welcomed by US First Lady Jill Biden
• On Wednesday, May 22, President Joe Biden received William Ruto at the White House for the historic visit
• On Thursday, May 23, a video emerged showing how American channels covered President Ruto's state visit to the U.S.

President William Ruto arrived at the White House in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, May 22, continuing his three-day historic visit to the United States.

President Joe Biden welcomed Ruto to the White House, marking a significant occasion. Upon arrival, Ruto addressed the press and Americans alongside Biden.

What did the American channels do?

Joe Biden gave his speech and then subsequently welcomed Ruto to the podium to address the public. However, a recurring pattern emerged among most American channels: As soon as Ruto began speaking, they all went on a break.

According to a video compiled by CNN international correspondent Larry Madowo and shared online, the majority of prominent news channels in the nation were observed introducing President Ruto before proceeding to take a break.

This denied the people who couldn't get to the White House an opportunity to listen to what Ruto had to say.

" American channels cut away when President Ruto started speaking... except CNN International," Larry captioned the video.

How did netizens react to the video?

The video triggered a strong reaction among Kenyan netizens, with some complaining about the incident while others believed there was no issue.

Fafa Mukuru:

"They are also tired of the lies."

Vinnie:

"Racism still exists."

Amwoga Khalwale:

"They know he speaks too much lies. He only speaks facts by accident."

Muraya:

"Its not about Gaza or Ukraine, so no airtime my guy."

Natoshi Sakamoto:

Good pointing that out Larry, they need to do better

Isaacmumbikenya:

"Those other channels have racism in them..."

Youngprince.22:

"They don't like us, we should just stop forcing ourselves."

Jill Biden welcomes William Ruto to Washington DC

Ruto and Mama Rachel arrived at Joint Andrews Air Force Base, where they were welcomed by US First Lady Jill Biden ahead of their planned engagements.

The arrival ceremony for Ruto was marked by customary formalities, underscoring the diplomatic relationship between the two countries.

What you need to know about Ruto's state visit

• In President William Ruto's state visit to the United States, Kenya received a massive boost in its military operations and peacekeeping mission.
• Ruto was lauded by US Congress Members for candidly explaining Kenya's borrowing plan
• The owners of the controversial KSh 200,000 million jet that Ruto hired said the jet can fly up to 10 to 12 hours non-stop.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke