Who the Heck Is Running the White House Instagram Page? People Aren’t Loving the Content

If President Harry S. Truman (widely ranked as one of the nation's best presidents) saw what was being posted to the White House’s official Instagram page these days, he’d be rolling in his grave. Of course, things are bound to be different between the 33rd president’s time in the mid-1940s to early 1950s and 2025 (humans do evolve), but the demeanor and standards of presidents have clearly declined, and social media isn’t helping.

With everyone chasing the latest trends, even the White House feels pressured to cater to what grabs attention. But where do we draw the line?

On May 4, 2025, it became clear that there is no line after the White House posted an AI-generated image of a pumped, shredded Donald Trump wielding a red lightsaber in honor of Star Wars Day. At that point, you really have to ask yourself: Who the heck is running the White House Instagram account? Here's who's actually behind the posts.

There are roughly two dozen presidential departments that help run the White House, along with several other branches that play a major role in decision-making, one of which is the Office of Digital Strategy. This department is responsible for managing the White House’s Instagram account, along with its other digital platforms.

Its job is to "amplify the president’s message and engage with citizens around the country online," per The White House's official website. In addition to full-time staff, the office also brings on interns who help create content, handle design, and support engagement efforts.

It’s safe to assume the Office of Digital Strategy also manages the president’s accounts on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Truth Social, and more. But that doesn’t mean the department acts alone. The president likely approves, or at the very least, influences the content being posted.

And based on the White House’s Instagram posts from early May 2025, it’s clear that the president has some input. As previously mentioned, one post celebrated Star Wars Day with an AI-generated image of a jacked Trump holding a red lightsaber, while another featured a troubling video parodying Star Wars.

The video, uploaded by the El Centro Sector (ELC) and tagged the White House, was titled Border Wars and featured Darth Vader acting as a border patrol agent. He’s seen eliminating what he claims are threats crossing the border: human smugglers, sanctuary cities, meth, fake news, fentanyl, and more.

The clip appeared to mock the U.S. border crisis, turning a real humanitarian issue into a joke, and implying that everyone trying to enter the country is a villain, rather than someone fleeing pain and suffering. While the video wasn’t posted by the White House directly, it still came from a U.S. government entity.

Between the post of Trump holding a red lightsaber (which, by the way, is the color typically associated with the villain in the Star Wars series) and another showing him posing as the Pope after news of the Pope's death, along with Lindsey Graham suggesting Trump should be considered as the next pope, let's just say people are not happy with how the Instagram account is being run.

In the comments of various posts, a similar sentiment is being shared: embarrassment. Some called the posts outright "embarrassing," while others questioned, "Is everyone on crack in the White House?" One person chimed in, "I cannot believe this is the actual White House account. Laughing stock of the world. Wow."

Another comment on the Pope post read, "I regret voting for you," which garnered over 22,000 likes. Overall, people are shocked by the nature of these posts. It seems either the White House might need to revamp its Office of Digital Strategy, or someone should seriously consider taking Trump’s phone away.