The official White House Instagram account has posted many controversial topics related to or endorsed by President Donald Trump. The content presented, such as the promotion of Tesla vehicles, the politicization of plastic vs. paper straws, and the presentation of Trump as a king, all cater to far-right viewership. These posts call into question the potential biases and effects of such polarizing iconography.
“‘I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla’ -President Donald J. Trump.”
That is the caption for a photograph posted by the White House Instagram account on March 21 2025. Re-uploaded directly from Donald Trump’s X (formerly twitter) page, the picture shows both the president and Elon Musk in front of a tesla cyber truck.
The “terrorist thugs” refer to Donald Trump’s response to recent cases of vandalism against Tesla cars. Shortly after the post was published, CNN reported on the discourse surrounding Trump’s statement:
“to call vandalism against Tesla in this unique set of circumstances an act of terrorism … There’s just simply no basis for saying that”
Hui Chen, Anti-corruption expert and former federal prosecutor
Like much of the content featured on the White House Instagram, the controversy over the account’s professionalism stems from multiple strongly opinionated or biased topics presented on the page. Equating the vandalism of Tesla vehicles to terrorism is just one of those examples.
Besides Tesla, political policies and direct quotes from the president are also commonly posted. All of these topics stand out because of their appeal to far right ideology, often highlighting key ideas promoted by Trump personally.
Why does it matter?
The use of social media for politics is not something new. Politicians and voters alike can take advantage of large online platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, and X. Doing so acts as an easy way to share opinions, leverage support, and organize campaigns.
The White House Instagram follows a similar format. Where it differs is in its presentation. Posts featured on the account often highlight calls to action directly supported by the president himself, regardless of whether or not they describe political policies or personal judgments.
Take the reoccurring mention of Tesla for example. On March 11 2025, the account posted a picture of the president with Elon Musk. The post promotes Tesla cars to viewers through the caption “Get in patriots⎯we have a country to save.🇺🇸”.
The picture pre-packages President Trump’s stance on Tesla. He supports Musk’s brand and urges others to do the same. Many commenters, however, voice outrage against such promotion.
“He’s using the official office to promote a business”, “Is this seriously a commercial advertisement from an ACTIVE president?”, and “This is highly unethical” are just a few examples of skeptical comments posted under the upload.
One question still remains: how does Tesla have anything to do with Trump’s political campaign, his policies, or his role as President of the United States?
The answer is just as it seems: it doesn’t.
Trump’s interest in Tesla cars does not stem from the value of the vehicles themselves or their relation to his political policies. They come from his connection to Elon Musk. The White House Instagram account is just another place where his team has marketed Musk’s brand.
So, what is Trump’s connection to Tesla?
The president has previously voiced strong opposition against electric vehicles. For Tesla, however, his opinions have changed.
During the 2024 election, Elon Musk contributed $288 Million to Trump’s campaign. Since then, Trump has publicly advocated for electric cars, specifically Tesla vehicles.
Additionally, the White House Instagram’s posts about Tesla come at a time of crisis for the company. Besides the negative public perception following the release of Tesla’s Cybertruck, Tesla is struggling in other ways.
Since the start of 2025, the company’s stock prices have dropped more than 40 percent. The White House Instagram account’s active promotion rallies viewers support, attempting to save Tesla by connecting it to a right wing brand. This act has sparked controversy in the form of protests.
Since the account’s posts on Tesla, multiple people around the world have rallied against Elon Musk, Donald Trump, and Tesla. One user on TikTok posted a video on March 29, 2025, of a Salt Lake City protest. The tag “#teslatakedown” was used in the caption.
Presenting President Trump’s personal opinions on Tesla through a verified governmental account, such as the White House Instagram, ties the company and Trump’s campaign together.
Considering Elon Musk’s behavior, especially regarding his history of misogynistic posts on X, and questionable salute at Trump’s inauguration, an endorsement of Musk’s brand resultantly endorses the actions of Musk himself. As Tesla, Trump, and Elon Musk all become interconnected with right-wing ideology, the controversies Elon has previously been involved with come with it.
Tesla is not the only example.
While the promotion of Tesla vehicles is quite prevalent on the page, the White House Instagram has not stopped at electric cars. On February 10, 2025, the White House account posted a picture of a Diet Coke bottle with a red straw.
The post follows an executive order Trump signed reversing the Biden Administration’s previous plans to reduce governmental purchases of plastic products. The decision remains controversial because the United States faces large environmental concerns over the use of plastic.
In 2020 alone more than 1000 tons of micro-plastics rained over protected areas across the country. In the face of plastic pollution, why sign an executive order reversing measures against it?
The key lies in President Trump’s own opinions about paper straws, most notably his dislike of them.
“These things don’t work, I’ve had them many times, and on occasion, they break, they explode. If something’s hot, they don’t last very long, like a matter of minutes, sometimes a matter of seconds. It’s a ridiculous situation.”
Donald Trump
By signing an executive order to re-integrate plastic straws, the president effectively turns his personal preference into a political move. To further gain public approval, Donald Trump and his team turned to social media. That’s where the White House Instagram played its role.
Posting a picture of a red straw with an American flag in the backdrop already enforces a connection between plastic and far-right patriotism. The quote taken directly from the president only adds to that rhetoric.
The plastic vs. paper straw debate subsequently becomes a debate between liberal and conservative policies. Considering the United State’s pollution problems and environmental concerns, this shift could reduce support for environmentally conscious legislation. Such a change could have consequences on sustainability and climate awareness.
Other examples have sparked even more controversy.
Plastic straws and Tesla cars aside, the White House Instagram has presented a much more alarming depiction of President Trump.
On February 19, 2025, the account posted an edited photo of the president adorning a crown. Formatted like the cover of a New York Times magazine, the post states “LONG LIVE THE KING.”
Now sitting at over 118,000 likes and nearly 70,000 comments, the post has reached a massive audience. For Trump supporters, this narrative paints the president in a way that endorses their leader as a king. For others, this raises some major red flags.
In response to President Trump and his team, Illinois State Governor JB Pritzker posted a video of his State of Senate address to X.
As Governor of Illinois, my oath is to the Constitution of our state and our nation.
— Governor JB Pritzker (@GovPritzker) February 19, 2025
We don’t have kings in America, and I won’t bend the knee to one. pic.twitter.com/UE9H82Kq7V
His direct call-out following the White House Instagram’s post reveals the heart of the controversy.
The United States Constitution denotes that no title of nobility shall be granted to members of the government. In posting the president of the United States posing as a monarch, the White House Instagram seemingly disregards the clause.
With so many viewers, likes, and comments, the effects of such a move remain controversial at best, and unconstitutional at worst.
When is it time to draw the line?
Propaganda is biased or misleading information used to promote a particular political cause. The choice of content presented by the White House Instagram calls into question the motives behind President Trump and his social media team.
As stated before, many of the posts on the account describe topics the president has personal investments or interests. Are his views on Tesla, paper straws, and his image just another political strategy, or do they carry an inherent bias?
To what extent can such content be promoted? To what extent should it be?
So long as the content is approved, the White House Instagram will continue to paint Donald Trump as the pinnacle of patriotism. The account’s choice to rally support through its far right imagery affirms the use of social media to prioritize Trump’s personal gain.
It’s up to viewers to decide whether that gain is accepted as just another political strategy, or if its connotations are much more sinister.
It’s up to viewers to decide where to draw the line between politics and propaganda.
Jackie
April 14, 2025 at 12:10 am
This is an interesting piece. I’m seriously tired of seeing political pages like these on my instagram feed.