President Trump was caught on camera smiling and thanking a MAGA commentator for a softball question.
Trump spoke about an ICE raid on a Hyundai factory in Georgia that resulted in 475 people, more than 300 of them South Korean nationals, being detained, and said he was “not happy” about Russia’s ongoing aggression in Ukraine.
But Link Lauren, who first ingratiated himself into the MAGA world by strong defenses of Trump, had other ideas, asking the president about the “autopen scandal.”
Trump was fielding questions at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington, D.C., after his controversial trip to his native New York to watch the U.S. Open Men’s Singles final.
“I think the auto pen is one of the great scandals of our time,” he told reporters, prompting a TikTok creator turned frequent Fox News contributor, Link Lauren, to pipe up.
“What do you think the media would say if you pardoned your kids on the last day in office with an auto pen?” Lauren, 26, asked, referring to Joe Biden pardoning his son Hunter before leaving office.
The younger Biden, 55, was facing sentencing for two criminal cases when his dad, 82, wielded his executive powers to hand him a pardon.
Over the weekend, Axios scooped a story citing high-ranking Biden administration officials who claimed the president and his team would use an autopen to sign the measures, more and more frequently as his term approached its end.
Trump has repeatedly sounded off about the issue, with the Axios scoop giving him renewed zeal. Lauren’s question also allowed him to return to the problem, something he clearly enjoyed.
Responding to Lauren, who has been dubbed “MAGA Malfoy” because of his resemblance to bleach blonde Harry Potter character Draco Malfoy, Trump said, “I think it would’ve been a big story. I like this guy!”
He then smiled at Lauren and mouthed the words “thank you.”
Trump then fired off a Truth Social message about the matter on Monday morning, writing, “THE BIDEN AUTOPEN SCANDAL IS BIG, NOT AS BIG AS THE RUSSIA, RUSSIA, RUSSIA HOAX, OR THE RIGGED 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION, BUT, NEVERTHELESS, ONE OF THE BIGGEST, EVER!!!”
Texan Lauren, who fawns over White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, is a TikTok creator turned Fox News contributor.problem
The New York University alum started out posting about pop culture on TikTok before fighting online battles in support of Trump after he made an appearance on CNN in 2023. The then ex-president had done a town hall on the network, leaving liberal viewers fuming.
Lauren suggested they “calm down” and leave their political bubbles. After Trump returned to the hot seat in January this year, the content creator was invited to the “influencer briefing” held by the White House on Apr. 28. There, he showed his admiration for Leavitt and his propensity to ask softball questions.
“You’re a very high-profile young mother who seems to juggle and balance it all beautifully. What advice do you have to young parents out there who are starting their careers, having kids, building families, and trying to find that balance so desperately?” he asked the 28-year-old MAGA firebrand.
His follower count on social media has boomed since he entered the MAGAverse. Reacting to Trump’s comments at Andrews Air Force Base, Lauren said, “Glad I could ask President Trump about the Biden administration’s use of the autopen. We’re learning more with each passing day just how deep the corruption went.”
