Imagine a White House social media feed constantly barraging opponents with taunts while elevating its allies. Picture an FCC chairman responding to media queries with a GIF, or an FBI director announcing high-profile arrests and posting case evidence on social media. This isn’t a hypothetical scenario; it’s the reality of the Trump administration’s digital strategy.
Throughout the initial nine months of Donald Trump’s profoundly online presidency, his ‘always-be-posting’ mantra was eagerly embraced by his inner circle. Top aides fully adopted these internet-native tactics, fundamentally reshaping long-established governmental communication norms.
This digital arsenal included a relentless flow of trolling, memes, and AI-generated imagery from officials and across government platforms. Examples ranged from ‘A.S.M.R.’ videos showing prisoners in chains, to Studio Ghibli-style cartoons depicting deportation efforts, and even a repurposed ‘Apocalypse Now’ image hinting at a presidential ‘war’ in Chicago.
Just in the past month, this audacious and often casual social media approach has regularly ignited national discussions. During federal budget talks, both former President Trump and the White House posted AI-generated images of Representative Hakeem Jeffries with a mustache and a sombrero, which Jeffries condemned as racist.
Even traditionally reserved agencies joined the fray. The Federal Communications Commission’s chairman, Brendan Carr, celebrated a TV host’s suspension with smiling Jack Nicholson GIFs and ‘The Office’ clips. The Department of Homeland Security used a Pokemon-themed video and a ‘Mean Girl’ meme to promote deportations. And the FBI director, Kash Patel, posted watermelon emojis to mock Senator Adam Schiff, echoing prior presidential insults about the senator’s appearance.
Journalist Hamilton Nolan, reflecting on this trend, observed that the administration’s online presence is ‘aggressive and loud and constantly on the attack.’ He likened it to ‘turning the entire government into a message board argument.’
Experts in social media note that the second Trump administration’s digital tactics have significantly surpassed those of previous presidencies, including Democratic predecessors like President Biden, with his Office of Digital Strategy, and President Obama, who innovated in using the internet for grassroots organizing and outreach.
These strategies are a direct extension of Trump’s personal online style, which covers everything from publicly criticizing figures like Rev. Al Sharpton to questioning solar energy projects. His administration is filled with seasoned influencers who deeply understand internet culture and cater to their base’s appetite for digital conflict. Rapid technological advancements, including AI and the widespread use of malicious bots (even by foreign adversaries), have only boosted the reach of this digital megaphone.
Collectively, the Trump team’s heavy reliance on these aggressive online methods has frequently succeeded in shaping national discussions, dominating the political narrative, and consistently gaining advantages over their adversaries.
Whitney Phillips, an associate professor of information politics and media ethics at the University of Oregon and an expert on online antagonism, noted that ‘trolling the libs’ has been a highly effective communication strategy, both politically and culturally. She emphasized that Trump’s entire brand was built upon these very dynamics.
Even during the government shutdown, the White House social media accounts maintained their aggressive posture, including further sombrero-themed posts that week. This stalemate was famously dubbed ‘the meme shutdown’ by a prominent magazine. These official government posts were then widely circulated across various platforms, carrying the implied endorsement of the federal government itself.
These anti-Democratic Party messages, alongside similar content on other government sites, drew significant criticism for potentially violating the Hatch Act. This law strictly forbids federal employees from engaging in political activities while on duty. Given that federal staff manage official social media feeds, taxpayers indirectly funded these partisan communications.
White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson defended the approach, stating that ‘the success of the White House’s social media pages speak for itself.’
Jackson asserted, ‘Through engaging posts and viral memes, we are effectively conveying the President’s immensely popular agenda.’ She concluded, ‘Many attempt to emulate our style because our message truly connects with people.’
The White House remained silent on who precisely crafts these posts. However, a recent image on the President’s social media platform, showing Russell Vought (Office of Management and Budget head) as the Grim Reaper haunting Democrats, was attributed to the ‘Dilley 300 Meme Team.’ This group, self-proclaimed as ‘Trump’s online war machine’ and founded by former Republican candidate Brenden Dilley, operates on a straightforward principle: ‘It doesn’t have to be true,’ as Dilley explained on his podcast, ‘It just has to go viral.’
A No-Holds-Barred Digital Battleground
While Republicans are prominent in this digital space, Democrats are often perceived as less adept. Yet, politicians from both parties have recently posted confrontational videos related to the government shutdown, challenging their colleagues online.
In a recent interview, Democratic minority leader Senator Chuck Schumer acknowledged the power of social media, admitting his party had ‘didn’t do enough of, frankly, in the past.’ This remark, however, was met with skepticism and criticism from many online observers.
However, some Democrats stand out. Zohran Mamdani, a New York City mayoral candidate, and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez from New York have earned praise for their effective communication on social media, often skillfully using humor to lampoon their political rivals.
One Sunday, Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez invited her vast social media following to ridicule what she termed ‘the puffery of insecure masculinity’ within the Trump administration. She specifically poked fun at top aide Stephen Miller’s height, humorously suggesting he looked ‘like he’s, like, 4-10.’
While knitting, she quipped, ‘And he looks like he is angry about the fact that he’s 4-10.’ (Notably, official records list Mr. Miller as being significantly taller.)
Ocasio-Cortez’s playful jabs at ‘MAGA masculinity’ have found an echo in other Democrats. Representative Eric Swalwell of California, for instance, used a popular song in a recent online post to mock opponents.
Democrats like California Governor Gavin Newsom; Zohran Mamdani, who is the party’s candidate for New York City mayor; and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York have been credited for effectively using social media to convey messages — and get laughs at the expense of their opponents.
California Governor Gavin Newsom has earned accolades from fellow Democrats for his own social media mockery of Trump’s often exaggerated online rhetoric, particularly the all-caps style. Newsom’s recent posts include depicting House Speaker Mike Johnson as a cartoon Minion and an AI-generated video of Vice President JD Vance discussing the ‘history of couches,’ a clear nod to a controversial joke from the previous campaign.
Similar to the Trump team, those responsible for Newsom’s satirical posts largely remain anonymous, attributed only to a small group of aides operating with the governor’s direct involvement, his office confirmed.
According to spokesman Izzy Gardon, ‘Governor Newsom has spent years consuming right-wing media — and now he’s turning their own playbook against them.’ Gardon added, ‘He’s holding up a mirror to MAGA, and it appears they hate what they see.’
Despite Democratic efforts, Trump is still largely seen as the master of this digital domain. His unique style—perpetually combative, focused on immediate victories, and rarely apologetic—finds a perfect match in the fast-paced world of online interaction.
In contrast to his first term, many prominent figures in Trump’s second administration are deeply skilled in social media, coming from backgrounds in television and internet culture. This includes Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, a former TV host; Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt, a fervent online Trump supporter who opened the White House press room to digital creators; and even his Surgeon General nominee, Casey Means, a wellness influencer.
As Professor Phillips noted, ‘Mike Pence was not an internet troll.’
Jonathan Nagler, co-director of NYU’s Center for Social Media and Politics, describes Trump as highly effective in online battles, calling it ‘a great medium for him’ due to his penchant for insults and pop-culture references.
Trump also established his own social media platform, Truth Social, and enjoys the backing of X.com owner Elon Musk. Since acquiring X, Musk has eased restrictions on false or deceptive content, a policy that some allege Trump exploits. For example, he recently shared a post on Truth Social about ‘medbeds’—a fictional cure-all—though he later removed it.
When Politics Becomes Trolling: The Echo Chamber Effect
The Trump administration’s digital footprint mirrors the broader landscape of internet interactions, especially in politics: rapid-fire, sharp, and often abrasive, without always prioritizing factual accuracy.
Adam Aleksic, a linguist and author specializing in internet language, explained, ‘Things move on so quickly that if you have a rebuttal or a fact check, we’ve already moved on, the culture is at a different place.’ He stressed, ‘All that matters is getting your message out there further. And that means playing into extreme stuff, stuff that generates comments, stuff that plays into current trends, all of that.’
However, this social media strategy hasn’t always resonated as intended, even with some of Trump’s supporters. Lately, some have used the administration’s social posts to demand the release of the Epstein files. Furthermore, worries have surfaced that the intense loyalty of Trump’s aides and their online methods have fostered an echo chamber, disconnecting them from genuine real-world issues.
In other cases, these online actions have potentially jeopardized legal proceedings. A federal judge in Manhattan recently admonished two senior Justice Department officials for online remarks about a high-profile murder suspect, citing concerns about a fair trial. The FBI director also faced criticism for prematurely posting a false report of an arrest in another prominent case.
Even prominent figures aligned with Trump have voiced objections. Theo Von, a comedian and podcaster who helped attract young male voters to Trump, publicly called out the Department of Homeland Security. He demanded they remove a video celebrating deportations that featured his past comments, stating he found its portrayal of his views inaccurate.
Von explicitly requested, ‘Please take this down and please keep me out of your ‘banger’ deportation videos.’ He clarified that his ‘thoughts and heart are a lot more nuanced than this video allows’ regarding immigration.
Christopher Bail, co-director of Duke University’s Polarization Lab, highlighted that in the realm of online political combat, compromise is a rarity.
He explained, ‘That leaves a lot of real estate for a small group of highly engaged, and typically much more radical people, who unfortunately create the broad-scale misperception that most people share their radical views.’
Bail further noted, ‘For a while there, I think a lot of people would say, ‘Oh yeah, there’s just some loud people online. But now, you know, the loud people online are really calling the shots.’
Experts observe that Trump’s aides’ embrace of these online methods echoes the boisterous and aggressive tone often seen at his campaign rallies, where serious discourse is frequently undermined by commentary.
Shannon C. McGregor, a principal investigator at the University of North Carolina, characterized the situation starkly: ‘It’s as if we have an administration of reply guys,’ referring to those perpetually engaged in online commentary.
She suggested that this ‘nothing matters’ mentality serves a secondary purpose: it normalizes supporters’ enthusiasm for controversial content, like videos of masked individuals conducting arrests.
McGregor believes this is a deliberate strategy: ‘That, I think, is a purposeful tactic,’ she stated, enabling supporters ‘to enjoy, and to feel that permission to enjoy, what’s going on, but also to really undermine the seriousness of the impact. And I think that’s also a really, very chronically extremely online sentiment.’
Even critics like Nolan admit the Trump administration’s social media presence is highly effective in its chosen online battlegrounds, particularly platforms like X.
However, he voiced concern about the long-term consequences of this intense focus. He noted that during Trump’s first term, ‘there was still a bureaucracy in place that was actually running the government while he could do his performances.’
Now, he argues, ‘it’s like the operational bureaucratic class of the government has been purged. And it’s a completely performative class.’
Professor Phillips stated that her students often equate ‘politics’ with ‘trolling,’ which complicates efforts to highlight historically unprecedented events.
She concluded, ‘Because everything is precedented.’