White House deputy chief of staff Dan Scavino posted an AI-generated video on social media on Saturday, Sept. 26, depicting a fictional White House after-party set to Pitbull's 'Don't Stop the Party.' The six-second clip showed an AI-rendered Scavino riding a luggage cart with Eric Trump and two women, while President Donald Trump appeared at the end. Scavino described it on Instagram as his 'post State Dinner party.'
The post followed the Sept. 24 White House state dinner for Chinese President Xi Jinping and Peng Liyuan. President Trump and first lady Melania Trump hosted the dinner in the East Room as part of Xi's state visit.
The AI clip also drew criticism from conservative commentators who said its champagne-filled imagery appeared out of touch at a time of economic strain. Those reactions were opinions about the post and do not establish Scavino's intent.
Dan Scavino AI Video Fuels QAnon Interpretation
The Bulwark reporter Will Sommer reported that some QAnon adherents focused on the Pitbull soundtrack because of a social media request made shortly before Scavino posted the video.
According to reporting cited by Mediaite, QAnon supporter Kimberly Auer wrote on X on Friday that Scavino could give followers a 'NOD' by posting something with Pitbull music if President Trump was secretly behind the pro-Trump 'Papi Trumpo' account. Some conspiracy theorists have claimed that Trump operates the account, but no evidence cited in the reporting establishes that claim.
A little more than a day after Auer's request, Scavino posted the AI clip using 'Don't Stop the Party.' Sommer reported that Auer's reference to Pitbull appeared to stem from the rapper's appearance on a remix of Jennifer Lopez's song 'Papi.'
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸🦅 (@DanScavino) September 26, 2026
Some QAnon followers treated the timing and soundtrack as confirmation of their theory. Mediaite reported that Auer celebrated the post before later asking whether she had 'got Dan in trouble' after criticism emerged.
The sequence does not establish that Scavino saw Auer's request or deliberately chose the song as a signal. Sommer noted that Scavino did not appear to follow Auer on X, leaving open the possibility that the timing was coincidental. The White House did not respond to The Bulwark's request for comment, according to Mediaite.
There is also no public evidence in the cited reporting that Trump controls the 'Papi Trumpo' account.
Earlier Posts Draw Similar QAnon Attention
Sommer also pointed to earlier Scavino posts that QAnon followers had interpreted as meaningful. Mediaite, citing 2020 reporting by The New York Times, said Scavino had repeatedly posted clock imagery and 'tick tock' references that QAnon adherents embraced.
Mediaite also noted that Scavino posted an image that year of Trump playing a violin with the phrase 'Nothing can stop what's coming,' wording associated with QAnon messaging. Those earlier posts attracted attention from followers of the conspiracy theory, but they do not prove that Scavino intended the latest Pitbull soundtrack as a coded message.
Scavino thinks it's a good idea to post this? This administration is rubbing Americans' nose in the filth of their own corruption and laughing and partying it up, while you pay exorbitant prices at the pump and can't afford groceries and health care. F*ck them! https://t.co/iD5P5LMCMk
— Geoff (@GeoffBrown82) September 27, 2026
QAnon is a pro-Trump conspiracy theory whose adherents have often interpreted online posts, symbols and coincidences as evidence supporting broader, unsubstantiated claims. In this case, the dispute centres on whether a song choice made after a public request was deliberate or coincidental.
Scavino remains a senior White House official. The White House's July 1, 2026, annual personnel report lists Daniel J. Scavino Jr. as assistant to the president, deputy chief of staff and director of the Office of Presidential Personnel.
The available reporting establishes the sequence of Auer's request and Scavino's Pitbull-scored video, but it does not establish a causal connection between them. Any claim that the soundtrack was a deliberate QAnon signal therefore remains an interpretation rather than a verified fact.
