White House Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino is facing fierce backlash — even from fellow Republicans — over a social media post depicting him in a tuxedo, sloshing champagne with some glamorous party pals as Americans grapple with a deepening cost-of-living crisis linked to the Iran War and the Trump administration’s tariffs.
Scavino shared the apparent AI-generated video depicting him and who appears to be his second wife, Erin Elmore, and Lara Trump, grinning in ballgowns while they are pushed on a gold luggage cart through the White House by Eric Trump to Pitbull’s “Don’t Stop the Party.” Gold confetti falls before a jubilant President Donald Trump enters the scene.
“This is not an intended for the Dems heads to explode — Being some of the post State Dinner party has gotten out, I felt inclined to share mine as well, in complete transparency, with the American People. GOD BLESS THE USA!!!” Scavino, 50, posted.
However, it wasn’t just Democrats who had a knee-jerk reaction to the post, which comes as Trump’s poll numbers continue to plummet ahead of the November midterms.
“You really have no shame, do you? Many Americans can’t afford groceries, gas or their mortgage payment, and you post a tone deaf AI video of you and your buddies partying at the People’s House,” conservative activist Carrie Prejean Boller wrote.
“One of my friends couldn’t afford air conditioner this summer,” Meghan McCain, conservative commentator and daughter of late Republican Senator John McCain, commented on the video.
Jonah Goldberg, editor-in-chief of center-right publication The Dispatch, quipped: “This is precisely the midterm messaging the GOP needs from the Deputy White House Chief of Staff.”
Sarah Longwell, an anti-Trump Republican who founded the Bulwark, called it “Real fall of Rome s***.”
Other self-described MAGA accounts on X also slammed the video. One X user wrote: “Wow... This is really going to resonate with everyday Americans. They are so out of touch. It's astonishing.”
“Very relatable to Americans who are getting crushed by inflation, gas prices & cost of living,” another noted.
CNN anchor Jake Tapper also reshared the post, simply noting: “WH deputy chief of staff.”
Scavino appeared to lean into the controversy by resharing another AI-generated video that showed a rowdy party after the State Dinner at the White House. The images depict Trump, Elon Musk, Marco Rubio and other officials partying with Chinese President Xi Jinping. Scavino wrote “...as the typical nutters are losing their s*** over AI created content, well done! It is AI, correct?”
The Independent has contacted the White House for comment.
There is little over a month to go until the midterm elections. New polling from NBC News shows Democrats with a 9-point advantage over Republicans when it comes to taking control of Congress. Decision Desk HQ forecasts a 72 percent probability of Democrats taking control of the House and a 54 percent probability of the party winning the Senate.
President Donald Trump is facing the worst approval rating of his second term at just 32 percent, according to Reuters.
Trump campaigned in 2024 on lowering costs for everyday Americans and not starting any new wars but the U.S. conflict with Iran has led to elevated prices at gas pump, grocery store and across a plethora of everyday essentials.
The president has undertaken a number of taxpayer-funded lavish renovations at the White House including breaking ground on a $600 million ballroom.
A recent Politico poll showed 53 percent of Americans couldn’t recall struggling harder to make ends meet — and 46 percent said they felt that Trump was fully or mostly responsible for the state of the economy.
Democrats have hammered Republicans by campaigning on the cost of living crisis ahead of the November midterms - and at least some in the Republican party have taken note.
Senator Jim Justice, a West Virginia Republican, openly criticized his party’s current approach.
“You’ve got Republicans scrambling everywhere,” Justice told The New York Post this week. “When — my lord of living, all we had to do was really be in touch with the people four or five months ago … We’ve done all kinds of great stuff. You know, but we’re tone deaf in a lot of ways.”
