According to a report by The Guardian in the UK on October 5th, the White House is defending a newly hired press assistant. In 2021, this assistant wore a T-shirt with the words "Fuck Joe Biden" and held a rifle, taking a holiday photo.
The new assistant press secretary of the White House, Benee Ray Harmony, revealed on October 2 that she will begin working for U.S. President Donald Trump. A few days ago, she reported on Trump as a journalist for “Real American Voices”. “Real American Voices” is a right-wing media outlet with partisan tendencies, originally created as a video podcast platform for Trump’s former advisor Steve Bannon.
According to a LinkedIn profile, 24-year-old Harmony was previously the producer for the far-right organization 'Turning Point USA', and also served as a news assistant for two far-right Republican politicians. Her work focused on crisis management.
According to reports, Harmony was pictured with an older man wearing matching anti-Biden T-shirts and holding rifles, posing in front of Christmas decorations. This photo was posted on Instagram by right-wing Republican House candidate Jerome Bell in November 2021.
Harlowy's controversial photo screenshot
The screenshot of the post published by The Daily Mirror shows the caption: "My campaign public affairs director @beniraeharmony is a tough cookie. That's just how we do things."
The White House Press Office responded with a statement by Anna Kelly, the deputy press secretary. Kelly praised the newly appointed staff for advocating Trump’s “Make America Great Again” movement.
Kelly wrote: “Beny Ray-Hammon, as a White House reporter, has always been a trusted voice for the MAGA movement. As an assistant press secretary, she will be a great addition to President Trump’s communications team—we look forward to her joining us!”
The Guardian states that at this time, the White House Press Office is taking unprecedented measures to ensure that Trump is constantly surrounded by partisan media reporters who praise him, while restricting or denying access to non-partisan media reporters.
Trump once tried to completely ban CNN, Politico, and MS Now from entering the White House, because he believed their reports were too negative. His assistants now decide which media can attend and ask him questions, and they often reserve opportunities for journalists who publicly support him to ask questions.
During a press event on Air Force One last month, Trump walked toward the reporters with a stack of documents in his left hand. Harmony asked a series of friendly questions, seemingly to gain him political points. Photos taken by The Associated Press during the interaction show that there is the name of Harmony at the top of the first page of the document in Trump's hand, suggesting that he might be holding Harmony's resume as she asked questions.
