Why did Trump hijack the .gov domain?

Hello and welcome organizer.

Happy New York City Mayor Election Day to everyone who is voting, watching from afar, or just here for the memes. And a happy 35th day of the federal government shutdown, which, as of today, is tied for the longest shutdown in history. But let’s step back for a second, because these two seemingly unrelated events have something in common.

In 2018, there were two things that were always in my social media diet: viral videos from WorldStarHipHop.com of people physically fighting, and Donald Trump and MAGA influencers inciting flame wars on Twitter. Although the content originated from vastly different communities, their most viral posts shared the same qualities: they had to show a gruesome fight, and they had to make their target audience feel evil, vicarious glee at how badly the loser got beaten up — so much so that no one felt any sympathy for the loser at all.

Seven years later, “World Star Politics,” as I called it at the time, had not only entered the mainstream but had become an established political norm in America.

We still don’t know the results of the hotly contested mayoral race by the time this email is sent, but one thing is certain. Whether he wins or not, so are Zahran Mamdani’s digital communication skills Kind Like an online influencer, but with a much higher societal risk — forcing his primary rival, disgraced former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, to adopt what… New York Times called “New social media persona“To fight Mamdani and his army online. Whether or not Cuomo succeeds in his new social media persona will only truly be answered once all the votes are counted. But the truth about Cuomo same Trump had to adapt to online culture in order to get back into the race, which underscores a fundamental change in elections and politics. It is no longer enough to outsource their online presence An army of young people in their 20s are producing memes On their behalf: Candidates need to prove this theythemselves, are experienced in the field of digital communications.

But it’s not as if 20-year-olds won’t lack for work. Although Trump himself is a unique media figure, whose campaigns and presidency set the standard for how low digital content can go without becoming a full-fledged political liability, his influence has seeped deeply into the federal government itself. MAGA college students and aspiring influencers who watched him run for president in 2016 are now staffing his communications offices throughout the administration in 2025.

The White House is, of course, the hub for all of MAGA WorldStar’s content, as they post memes from their official accounts meant to rile up their enemies and satiate their followers — especially when they link a health or palliative internet trend in general to a deeply divisive MAGA talking point. (A very Short list of examples: ASMR Migrant Deportation VideoAmnesty International Ghibli image of Trump deporting a crying womancollapsing on aura ICE Recruitment Ads, Press Secretary Carolyn Leavitt and Communications Director Stephen Cheung Saying “your mother” in response to a reporteretc.)

But the spirit of MAGA WorldStar is starting to seep into the US government’s official online presence. WhiteHouse.govfor example, was recently republished New presidential history Which included photos of perennial MAGA targets: Hunter Biden, Bill Clinton hugging Monica Lewinsky, and Barack Obama wearing a turban. As of today, many of the unfunded federal agencies that play a critical role in American life have banners on their home pages that explicitly blame Democrats for the government shutdown — from Ministry of Justice and Food and Drug Administration to Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Health and Human Services. Until now, if you were a SNAP recipient worried about food stamps, you had to move on Official website of the United States Department of Agriculture To find out what’s new, you will meet the following:

“Senate Democrats have now voted 13 times to defund the food stamp program, also known as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Bottom line, the well has run dry. At this time, there will be no benefits issued on November 01. We are approaching an inflection point for Senate Democrats. They can continue to provide health care to illegal aliens and gender-conversion procedures or reopen the government so mothers, children, and the most vulnerable among us can access cash assistance.” Food assistance.”

Politicizing a federal agency’s web page like this would have been unthinkable in all previous administrations — especially under extreme circumstances like a federal government shutdown. But under MAGA WorldStar rules, a .gov web page ultimately remains a web page visited by millions of desperate people. And if you’re a president intent on politicizing the entire federal apparatus to crush your enemies, you might as well treat your high-traffic sites as a free billboard — and add some shock to them, too.

Specifically: my vacation. organizer It will return on Tuesday, November 25, if you wish EdgePolitics and Political Coverage Meanwhile, here’s a simple hack: Go to this web page, then tap Continueand soon it will be on your homepage at Verge dot com!

See you in two weeks, and if the government is open by then, it will be a Thanksgiving miracle. In the meantime, please listen to Nilay Patel’s public service announcement: