Donald Trump’s proudly transparent White House deleted a random social media video Wednesday night, instantly fueling wild conspiracy theories from right-wing onlookers.
The White House’s official X account and Instagram page posted a video at around 9:10 p.m. Wednesday. The four-second video appears to have been recorded on a cellphone. The phone seems to be held by someone with the camera pointed towards their feet. Someone can be heard saying, “It’s launching soon, right?”
It has a Snapchat-style on-screen caption saying “sound on.”
There was no context provided in the post about what the video could be referencing.
At 10 p.m., a second cryptic video was posted on the White House’s X and Instagram account. It shows glitchy footage of static and twice features the iPhone’s ‘bell’ sound to signify a text being sent.
Distorted footage of an American flag was visible in one frame, with the stripes facing the wrong way, while they included the “sound on” and smartphone emojis, referencing the video’s audio.
While the second video remained online and has had close to 3 million views, the first was deleted approximately 90 minutes later from both official White House accounts.
It’s unclear whether it was used as a strategic move to drive engagement or distraction, and whether the video was posted accidentally or intentionally. It’s also unclear if the two posts are related.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House for clarification.
Internet sleuths quickly shared captured recordings of the deleted video, leading some to question if the White House had been “hacked” and offer theories as to what may have happened, including that it might have been a deliberate administration plot to cryptically tease something.
The post had users on X abuzz with theories, fearing the White House’s account was “compromised” and demanding answers.
One X user said, “The official White House account is either a) hacked or b) announcing something through a cryptic message like it’s the f---ing WWE. We’re not a real country anymore. This is embarrassing on so many levels.”
The reality, however, could be less ominous.
After the second post, one user asked Elon Musk’s AI bot Grok if the White House’s social media accounts had been hacked.
Grok said it had not been hacked, noting it appeared to be referencing a new text alert system, which the White House is promoting on its social media pages.
“The Golden Age of America Begins Right Now,” the text reads. “Text USA to 45470 to receive alerts.”
Grok added that the mistaken post appeared to be a “staff error,” however the White House is yet to confirm the post is linked to the text system.
The White House’s text line, which has been promoted on its website and on-screen messaging in White House videos, opens directly to a user’s phone. However, it is not an entirely new scheme. While the number is the name, users previously had to enter the word "POTUS" which has now changed to “USA.”
