‘Virality, rumors and lies’: US federal agencies mimic Trump on social media

Mon, 15 Dec 2025

Variety of agencies now deliberately provocative on social media, further inflaming discourse on serious issues

When Donald Trump posted during his first term on what was then called Twitter, his attacks and rants differed significantly from US federal agency staff’s more cautious and traditional approach on social media.

For example, in January 2017, in response to scrutiny of one of the president’s executive orders, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) posted: “We are & will remain in compliance with judicial orders. We are & will continue to enforce @POTUS’s EO humanely and with professionalism.”