While the role of White House press secretary remains open, Donald Trump has made a new hire in his communications team: Beni Rae Harmony, a 24-year-old former journalist who will now serve as an assistant press secretary. The president has not yet found a replacement for press secretary Karoline Leavitt, who stepped down in August, but his latest move in the communications team has sparked debate as more information was revealed about the new hire. Harmony captured attention this weekend as a holiday photograph of her in 2021 wearing a “F*** Joe Biden” T-shirt and holding a rifle was shared across social media.
In a statement on X on Sunday, Harmony announced she was joining the White House. "I’m looking forward to this next chapter - serving the American people and continuing to fight for the American Dream. America First," she wrote.
Harmony revealed on Friday that she would join the White House press team, moving from working as a senior correspondent for Real America’s Voice, a media outlet originally created as a video podcast platform for the president’s former adviser Steve Bannon. According to her LinkedIn, Harmony previously worked as a press aide for Turning Point USA host Jack Posobiec, and as a deputy press secretary for Republican Congressmen Paul Gosar and Matt Gaetz. Before being hired by the White House, Harmony had followed the president on various trips, covering his movements for Real America’s Voice.
She was recently part of the White House press corps covering the president's trip to Ireland, where Trump was pictured on the return trip on Air Force One holding a piece of paper that appeared to have the name “Beni Rae Harmony” at the top. With more than 77,000 followers on Instagram, Harmony has frequently shared her work traveling alongside and reporting on the president. Harmony's appointment comes during a tense time between Trump and the press.
In September, the president banned CNN, Politico and MS NOW from the White House, a decision a federal judge temporarily blocked. Meanwhile, Trump’s relationship with female journalists continues to be a point of contention as high-profile clashes with female members of ABC, CNN, Fox News, NBC and more have been reported since the start of the president’s second term. Shortly after Harmony announced her White House appointment, social media users resurfaced several posts and photographs from her past.
Chief among them was a photograph of Harmony posing with an older relative during the Christmas holiday, wearing a T-shirt that read “F*** Joe Biden.” The picture was shared on Instagram in 2021 by former Republican House candidate Jarome Bell. The caption read: “My campaign Public Affairs Director @beniraeharmony is a beast. This is how we roll.” Harmony appeared to confirm the authenticity of the picture, sharing another picture of herself wearing the T-shirt in 2021.
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