White House, Agriculture Secretary post racially charged images days before midterms

The Trump administration's official online accounts are circulating images that critics call inflammatory, two days before the midterm election. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted Saturday on X a photo of a Black man standing before stacks of what appear to be U.S. currency, under the headline "SNAP FRAUDSTER" ¹².

The post is styled as fake Spirit Halloween costume packaging. The packaging reads that some costumes come with a price tag, and this one comes with a prison sentence ¹². SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps ¹².

The White House also posted an image on X on Thursday showing a pumpkin carved with the shape of a sombrero and the words "Spooky szn is here" ¹². The AP reports the posts were slammed by critics as inflammatory rhetoric ².

Who is in the image

The Rollins post appears to be taken from a September 2025 Instagram post by an account under the name Shawty Dred ¹². Earlier this month, Mercedes Reshard New, identified by the Justice Department as a social media personality also known as "Shawty Dred," was arrested on federal charges of fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million in SNAP benefits in Georgia ¹².

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Federal prosecutors said in a news release Oct. 21 that New controlled more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts under stolen identities between January 2020 and July 2026 ¹². He allegedly applied for his company, Shawty Dred LLC, to become an authorized SNAP retailer and used EBT debit cards to extract about $4 million ¹².

Instead of this money feeding families in need, New, the social media personality known as 'Shawty Dred,' allegedly used the cash to bankroll a life of luxury

New was indicted by a federal grand jury Oct. 7 on dozens of counts of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, and one count each of SNAP fraud and illegal transactions with access devices ¹². He was arrested Oct. 13 and remains in federal custody ¹². A federal defender listed in court records as representing New, Joseph Austin, did not return a phone message ¹².

Not the first time

It is not the first time the White House has been accused of posting inflammatory images on official government accounts ¹². Just over a year ago during the government shutdown, the White House revived a deepfake video posted by Trump of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a fake mustache and sombrero ¹². Jeffries described the meme as bigoted ¹².

They played it on repeat in the White House briefing room, though Vice President JD Vance promised that the "sombrero memes will stop" when Democrats agreed to end the shutdown ¹².

The NAACP did not respond to an email seeking comment, nor did the White House or Rollins ¹².

The posts come as the administration has ratcheted up anti-immigrant rhetoric and fraud accusations in recent weeks, including against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose Washington, D.C., home was searched by federal agents earlier this month ¹². Federal authorities are investigating potential fraud in her family's immigration paperwork; Omar, who was born in Somalia, is a naturalized U.S. citizen ¹².

The administration also has taken punitive steps linked to fraud allegations in mostly Democratic-led states, including California and Minnesota, whose governors accused the federal government of targeting their states for political reasons ¹².

That matters because the posts land in the final hours of a campaign in which affordability has been a top voter concern, and they put government accounts to work amplifying a criminal case against one man ¹².

The Record

1. Oct 7, 2026A federal grand jury indicted Mercedes Reshard New on fraud and identity theft counts ¹²
2. Oct 13, 2026New was arrested and remains in federal custody ¹²
3. Oct 21, 2026Federal prosecutors said New controlled more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts ¹²
4. Oct 31, 2026Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted the 'SNAP FRAUDSTER' image on X ¹²

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<h2>White House, Agriculture Secretary post racially charged images days before midterms</h2> <p><em>By The GOP Files Investigations Desk. This article first appeared on <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/white-house-agriculture-secretary-post-racially-charged-images-days-before-midterms">The GOP Files</a> on Sunday, November 1, 2026.</em></p> <p>The Trump administration&#39;s official online accounts are circulating images that critics call inflammatory, two days before the midterm election. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins posted Saturday on X a photo of a Black man standing before stacks of what appear to be U.S. currency, under the headline &quot;SNAP FRAUDSTER&quot; .</p> <p>The post is styled as fake Spirit Halloween costume packaging. The packaging reads that some costumes come with a price tag, and this one comes with a prison sentence . SNAP is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as food stamps .</p> <p>The White House also posted an image on X on Thursday showing a pumpkin carved with the shape of a sombrero and the words &quot;Spooky szn is here&quot; . The AP reports the posts were slammed by critics as inflammatory rhetoric .</p> <h2>Who is in the image</h2> <p>The Rollins post appears to be taken from a September 2025 Instagram post by an account under the name Shawty Dred . Earlier this month, Mercedes Reshard New, identified by the Justice Department as a social media personality also known as &quot;Shawty Dred,&quot; was arrested on federal charges of fraudulently obtaining more than $4 million in SNAP benefits in Georgia .</p> <p>Federal prosecutors said in a news release Oct. 21 that New controlled more than 350 fraudulent SNAP accounts under stolen identities between January 2020 and July 2026 . He allegedly applied for his company, Shawty Dred LLC, to become an authorized SNAP retailer and used EBT debit cards to extract about $4 million .</p> <blockquote><p>Instead of this money feeding families in need, New, the social media personality known as &#39;Shawty Dred,&#39; allegedly used the cash to bankroll a life of luxury</p><p>&mdash; Marlo Graham, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta</p></blockquote> <p>New was indicted by a federal grand jury Oct. 7 on dozens of counts of mail fraud and aggravated identity theft, and one count each of SNAP fraud and illegal transactions with access devices . He was arrested Oct. 13 and remains in federal custody . A federal defender listed in court records as representing New, Joseph Austin, did not return a phone message .</p> <h2>Not the first time</h2> <p>It is not the first time the White House has been accused of posting inflammatory images on official government accounts . Just over a year ago during the government shutdown, the White House revived a deepfake video posted by Trump of House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries in a fake mustache and sombrero . Jeffries described the meme as bigoted .</p> <p>They played it on repeat in the White House briefing room, though Vice President JD Vance promised that the &quot;sombrero memes will stop&quot; when Democrats agreed to end the shutdown .</p> <p>The NAACP did not respond to an email seeking comment, nor did the White House or Rollins .</p> <p>The posts come as the administration has ratcheted up anti-immigrant rhetoric and fraud accusations in recent weeks, including against U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, whose Washington, D.C., home was searched by federal agents earlier this month . Federal authorities are investigating potential fraud in her family&#39;s immigration paperwork; Omar, who was born in Somalia, is a naturalized U.S. citizen .</p> <p>The administration also has taken punitive steps linked to fraud allegations in mostly Democratic-led states, including California and Minnesota, whose governors accused the federal government of targeting their states for political reasons .</p> <p>That matters because the posts land in the final hours of a campaign in which affordability has been a top voter concern, and they put government accounts to work amplifying a criminal case against one man .</p> <p><em>Read the original, with every source linked, at <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/story/white-house-agriculture-secretary-post-racially-charged-images-days-before-midterms">thegopfiles.com</a>. Republished under The GOP Files' <a href="https://thegopfiles.com/republish">free republishing terms</a>.</em></p> <img src="https://thegopfiles.com/api/rp/white-house-agriculture-secretary-post-racially-charged-images-days-before-midterms.gif" alt="" width="1" height="1" style="border:0;width:1px;height:1px">

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Sources

1. ABC News, “Trump administration's social media posts ahead of elections criticized for being inflammatory” (2026-11-01). abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-administrations-social-
2. AP News, “Federal gov't social media posts criticized for inflaming stereotypes | AP News” (2026-11-01). apnews.com/article/trump-social-media-government-memes-midte

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