Days before the November 2026 midterm elections, the Trump administration faces sharp criticism for inflammatory social media posts, including a sombrero pumpkin photo shared by the White House and a fake costume post from Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins targeting SNAP fraud arrestee Mercedes Reshard New. ICE also drew backlash for a 'Thriller' video showing detained immigrants. While the administration points to aggressive fraud crackdowns and enforcement, critics and Democratic leaders condemn the posts as bigoted.
White House sombrero social media posts
- ▪The White House official X account posted a photo displaying a pumpkin carved with the outline of a sombrero and the caption 'Spooky szn is here.'
- ▪Vice President JD Vance promised that the sombrero memes targeting Hakeem Jeffries would stop once Democrats agreed to end a government shutdown
- ▪Just over a year ago, during a government shutdown, the White House reshared a deepfake video depicting House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a fake mustache and sombrero to accuse Democrats of acting on behalf of illegal immigrants
Brooke Rollins SNAP Fraudster post
- ▪U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted a photo showing a Black man near stacks of U.S. currency under the title 'SNAP FRAUDSTER'
- ▪A photo posted by Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins depicting a 'SNAP FRAUDSTER' originated from a September 2025 Instagram post by Mercedes Reshard New's account
SNAP fraud investigation of Mercedes Reshard New
- ▪Federal authorities arrested Mercedes Reshard New, known on Instagram as 'Shawty Dred,' on October 13, 2026 following an October 7 indictment for alleged SNAP fraud in Georgia
- ▪Federal prosecutors stated that Mercedes Reshard New controlled over 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts using stolen identities from January 2020 to July 2026, extracting approximately $4 million through EBT debit cards
ICE Halloween social media video
- ▪ICE's Halloween 'Thriller' video showed agents detaining individuals, men sitting on detention floors, and an animated ICE officer handcuffing a green alien next to the words 'Happy Halloween.'
- ▪ICE posted a minute-long Halloween video set to Michael Jackson's 'Thriller' pairing movie monsters with footage of detained immigrants
- ▪Social media users expressed conflicting opinions over ICE's Halloween 'Thriller' video, with critics calling the clip inhumane and supporters describing it as funny
Pre-midterm immigration enforcement operations
- ▪Civil rights advocates and Arlington County Board Chair Matt de Ferranti warned that federal enforcement presence and threats around polling locations could intimidate immigrant voters before the November 2026 midterm elections
- ▪Cities and states including New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Illinois, Detroit, and California reported an uptick in federal immigration enforcement operations ahead of the November 2026 midterms
Story comments
Loading comments…