Imagine logging onto LinkedIn to update your professional history, only to see the face of Donald Trump staring back at you — even when you worked for a previous Democratic administration.
That’s exactly what happened to former White House staffers this week, thanks to a quirky Labor Day stunt from the Trump administration.
A Bold Social Media Move
On Monday, the Trump White House social media team decided to use the official LinkedIn account for the first time in coordination with the Labor Day holiday.
Their post read: “This Labor Day, we’re celebrating an America First comeback.”
But the stunt didn’t stop there. The White House profile picture was changed to a headshot of former President Trump.
The result? Anyone who had listed previous White House employment on their LinkedIn profile suddenly saw Trump’s face, even for the eight years President Barack Obama served.
Former Staffers React
Jeremy Edwards, a former assistant press secretary under President Biden, was among the first to notice the change.
He shared a screenshot on X (formerly Twitter), pointing out the oddity:
“The White House is now posting on LinkedIn and made their profile picture a picture of Trump’s face, which means if you worked for the White House in the past, and it’s on your profile, people see Trump’s face.
I guess that’s what I get for using LinkedIn,” he wrote.
Other ex-White House staffers also weighed in. Johanna Maska, Obama’s Director of Press Advance, asked LinkedIn to enforce rules ensuring institutions are accurately represented.
She noted, “Now all of us who worked for the White House at any time, including for different Presidents, have Donald Trump’s face on our profiles, though we worked for the institution of the White House and not the individual photographed.”
A Social Media Back-and-Forth
The stunt didn’t go unnoticed by the current Trump communications team.
White House Communications Director Steven Cheung responded to Edwards on X, writing: “That’s the whole point, dummy. Trolololololol.”
Edwards fired back with humor and sarcasm: “Thanks for the explainer, dumb**.
I guess I should just be grateful that it’s not your face I have to see whenever I open the app.
Appreciate you looking out for us!”*
Edwards later told the Daily Mail that he was bewildered Cheung took the time to engage.
“I can’t imagine Ben LaBolt taking his time to do that.
I guess if that’s what they want to do, maybe they can have Steven Cheung root through all the various White House and agency accounts and change his picture there.
That will show us,” he said, calling the saga “weird” and suggesting it was a distraction from other political controversies.
Staffers Make Adjustments
In response to the LinkedIn makeover, Edwards and other former Biden aides have updated their profiles to clarify they worked at the “Biden-Harris White House.”
When reached for comment, Cheung told the Daily Mail: “He’s clearly low-IQ. That’s why he worked for Biden.”
A Modern Political Prank
What started as a holiday LinkedIn post quickly turned into a playful, if chaotic, political chess move — one that left former staffers laughing, annoyed, and scrambling to clarify their professional histories online.