White House defends appointment of Beni Rae Harmony

The White House defends the appointment of 24-year-old Beni Rae Harmony as deputy press secretary. She is a “trusted voice of the MAGA movement,” as the Guardian quotes an official statement from the White House.

Until a few days ago, US President Donald Trump's new employee worked as a correspondent for a media outlet close to Trump - and has attracted attention with radical appearances in the past.

A photo from 2021 in particular is causing criticism. It shows Harmony with a rifle and a T-shirt with the inscription “Fuck Joe Biden”. The picture is said to have been taken while she was working as a press officer for then-Republican congressional candidate Jarome Bell. Harmony later indirectly confirmed the authenticity of the photo on social media, as the Guardian reports, but did not comment on current media inquiries.

Her professional past is also closely linked to the right wing of the Republicans. According to her LinkedIn profile, Harmony worked, among other things, for the “Turning Point USA” movement founded by Charlie Kirk and as a press advisor for Republicans Paul Gosar and Matt Gaetz.

It came to attention after Gosar was censured by the House of Representatives in 2021 when he released an animated video in which he killed Democratic Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and attacked Joe Biden. Harmony then defended Gosar in a video. She later worked as a correspondent for the Trump-affiliated media “Real America’s Voice”.

Her appointment fits in with the White House's approach to dealing with the media. The government recently restricted the access of CNN, MS Now and “Politico” (which, like WELT, is owned by Axel Springer) to the White House and partially denied them access. At the same time, pro-Trump media are given regular opportunities to ask questions of the president.