It’s the kind of internet prank that walks the tightrope between petty and genius — and lands squarely in the winner’s circle if your name is Donald J. Trump.
On Wednesday, former White House staffers from the Obama and Biden administrations logged into LinkedIn, likely preparing for a day of networking, only to be greeted not by their own professional smiling faces, nor by the seal of the esteemed West Wing, but by the unmistakable, mugshot-glare profile photo of President Trump himself.
BREAKING: The White House on LinkedIn has changed their profile picture to Donald Trump, so even the people who worked for BIDEN from 2021-2025 have Trump’s face on their profile. Liberals HATE IT.
“If you worked for the White House in the past, and it’s on your profile,… pic.twitter.com/HdG85jWq88
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 2, 2025
Here’s what’s really going on: LinkedIn, like many platforms, uses official page metadata when displaying employment history. When the official White House page updated its profile picture to reflect the current administration, it automatically propagated that image across every profile listing “The White House” as an employer. That means thousands of résumés now feature Trump’s face looming over former staffers — whether they like it or not.
The brilliance lies in its simplicity. By updating the photo, Team Trump turned a bureaucratic formality into a viral troll that absolutely landed. It’s the political equivalent of sneaking a whoopee cushion under the chair of the D.C. elite — a perfectly legal move, with absolutely no way to opt out unless, of course, you delete one of the most high-profile jobs you’ve ever had. For Obama-era operatives and Biden’s benchwarmers, this is a nightmare wrapped in a social media gag. And Trump’s camp knows it.
Yes. Any lib who ever worked at the White House now has my big, beautiful face on their linkedin timeline. —LFG!!!
pic.twitter.com/GNr8NOGxpW
— il Donaldo Trumpo (@PapiTrumpo) September 3, 2025
Steven Cheung, a senior Trump communications strategist, drove the point home with a sharp jab: “That’s the point, dummy.” It’s rare that a trolling campaign comes with its own footnote, but there it is — direct, unsparing, and devastatingly effective.
Even Gavin Newsom’s X antics — which, let’s be honest, reek of political theater dressed up as West Coast sass — can’t compete. When it comes to viral messaging, Democrats still find themselves flat-footed in a game Trump has all but mastered. Where they post polished photo-ops and climate pledges, Trump drops a digital stink bomb that gets covered coast to coast.
Ok, this was a genius idea
https://t.co/r5uYv4NUWW
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) September 3, 2025
