President Trump has been under fire for attacking MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” hosts, Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, making many wonder if Trump has a social media director. He does. Dan Scavino, 41, is sort of a “mini-Donald,” but in a different way than Barron Trump.
This is what you need to know.
President Trump doesn’t run tweets past Dan Scavino.
Trump’s social media director doesn’t actually filter most of what POTUS tweets.
“Any of his messaging and anything that’s put out on his Twitter account is 100 percent him. He doesn’t run anything by me,” Scavino told CNN in July, Huffington Post reported.
While Mitt Romney had 22 staffers sign off on his tweets during his 2012 run for office, Scavino just lets Trump be Trump.
“Scavino channels Trump, not the other way around,” a senior White House aide told Politico.
.@MittRomney,
You will not stop the #TrumpTrain‼️You look like a complete LOSER. Very DESPERATE attempt. #Fail pic.twitter.com/z10jKyxAbe— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) March 3, 2016
All sore loser Dem Leader @NancyPelosi has left, after losing the White House, Senate & House- is Russia! Sad. Time to MAGA & WIN, WIN, WIN! pic.twitter.com/G1uRWamZC8
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) March 10, 2017
Tweets from @POTUS are dictated to Scavino or other staffers by The Donald, but @realDonaldTrump is Trump straight, no chaser.
President Trump really does use social media as a distraction from bad press and Dan Scavino is a big part of it.
After the testimony of former FBI Director James Comey, President Trump went glaringly silent. That’s where Scavino stepped in.
Sorry Dems- nothing here,” he tweeted. “No votes were altered by Russians in the 2016 election. POTUS or team NEVER asked to stop election investigation.”
Sorry Dems- nothing here. No votes were altered by Russians in the 2016 election. POTUS or team NEVER asked to stop election investigation. pic.twitter.com/uOYQ41mckS
— Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) June 8, 2017
“When things aren’t necessarily working out with CNN or somebody, we can put [videos] on his platform and get more views just on one of those social media accounts that Mr. Trump has,” Scavino said at a campaign rally last July, the Washington Post reported.
Dan Scavino doesn’t shy away from scandal.
In true Team Trump fashion, Scavino has refused to tone down his tweets. He was reprimanded earlier this month for violating the Hatch Act when he tweeted against Michigan Republican Rep. Justin Amash in April.
The Hatch Act of 1939, officially An Act to Prevent Pernicious Political Activities, is a federal law that prohibits senior executive branch officials from certain political actions, such as using their power to interfere with elections.
Scavino is also responsible for the anti-Semitic image of Hillary Clinton on a pile of money with a Jewish Star of David inscribed with “Most Corrupt Candidate Ever.”
Scavino later removed the image.
Dan Scavino met Donald Trump when he was 16.
Scavino met Trump when he was a 16-year-old caddy at the Briar Hall Country Club in Westchester County, New York.
“I’ll never forget the day his limo first pulled up,” Scavino told Westchester magazine. “I was star-struck. I remember his first gratuity. It was two bills ― two hundred-dollar bills. I said, ‘I am never spending this money.’ I still have both bills.”
Scavino said Trump vowed to hire him one day and, in 2004, Scavino started working as assistant manager at the Trump National Golf Club. He was promoted to executive vice president in 2008.
Dan Scavino is part of Trump’s “Original Four.”
During Trump’s campaign, staffers did not have job security, being either pushed out or fired, but four remained at the end of the 17-month long battle for the Oval Office: Scavino; Hope Hicks, a fashion model-turned-press secretary with no political experience; Michael Glassner, deputy campaign manager and a former aide to former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin; and George Gigicos, who organized every Trump rally as his director of advance.
