President Donald Trump is notoriously incapable of taking even petty criticisms in stride. The White House’s latest spat with The White Stripes’ Jack White does little to change that perception.
On Tuesday, White posted a photo on Instagram of President Trump sitting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in the Oval Office. Panning the president’s dictator-chic design choices, White wrote in his caption that the White House is “now a vulgar, gold leafed and gaudy, professional wrestler’s dressing room. Can’t wait for the UFC match on the front lawn too.”
White continued, writing, “Look at his disgusting taste, would you even buy a used car from this conman, let alone give him the nuclear codes? A gold plated trump bible would look perfect up on that mantle with a pair of trump shoes on either side wouldn’t it? What an embarrassment to American history.”
The musician also praised Zelenskiy. “Also pictured in this photograph, a REAL leader of a nation in a black suit,” wrote White, who has called Trump an “obvious fascist” and filed (but subsequently dropped) a lawsuit against his 2024 campaign for unauthorized use of the song “Seven Nation Army.”
In a statement sent to several media outlets, Steven Cheung, the famously hot-tempered Trump senior staffer, railed against White for his post.
“Jack White is a washed up, has-been loser posting drivel on social media because he clearly has ample time on his hands due to his stalled career,” wrote Cheung. “It’s apparent he’s been masquerading as a real artist, because he fails to appreciate, and quite frankly disrespects, the splendor and significance of the Oval Office inside of ‘The People’s House.’”
But if White’s post reveals that he has “ample time” on his hands, can’t the same be said about the White House for its reply?
This isn’t the first time Trump’s communications staff has deepened the impression of the president as thin-skinned. When the Comedy Central cartoon South Park featured a withering portrayal of Trump, the White House then, too, put together a statement defending the president’s honor. “This show,” it said, “hasn’t been relevant for over 20 years and is hanging on by a thread with uninspired ideas in a desperate attempt for attention.”
The post The White House Is Beefing With a Musician Over … Decor? appeared first on New Republic.
