White House defends Trump aide's 2021 photo with rifle, 'F*** Joe Biden' shirt
A newly appointed White House press aide is facing scrutiny over a 2021 photograph showing her posing with a rifle while wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words "F*** Joe Biden".
Beni Rae Harmony, 24, has joined Donald Trump's administration as an assistant White House press secretary, moving from her role as a White House correspondent for Real America's Voice, a partisan right-wing media outlet. She has served in that role since joining the network in September 2025. According to The Guardian, Harmony has previously held political and media roles with prominent figures on the American right.
The photograph, reportedly posted on Instagram in November 2021, shows Harmony posing beside a man in front of Christmas decorations. Both are seen holding rifles and wearing T-shirts with an anti-Biden slogan. The image has resurfaced on social media following Harmony's appointment to the White House.
Harmony has not publicly commented on the photograph. The White House, however, has defended her appointment, praising her as a "trusted voice" of the MAGA movement and saying she would be an "outstanding addition" to Trump's team.
According to The Guardian, the photograph was reportedly posted on Instagram in November 2021 by Jarome Bell, a far-right Republican who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in 2022. A screenshot of the post, published by the Daily Mirror, showed Bell describing Harmony as his campaign public affairs director.
"My campaign Public Affairs Director @beniraeharmony is a beast. This is how we roll," the caption said.
The photograph later resurfaced in December 2021 when it was shared by PatriotTakes, an anti-MAGA outlet that identified Harmony as an aide to Republican congressman Paul Gosar of Arizona. Rather than denying that she was the woman in the photograph, Harmony appeared to confirm its authenticity.
The following day, she responded to the post with another photograph of herself wearing the same shirt and standing in the same location. In the second image, she was smiling directly at the camera.
Another social media user then made a sarcastic comment about the relationship between Harmony and the older man in the original photograph, asking: "Daughter or date?"
The photograph was taken when Joe Biden was the US President. At the time, the phrase "F** Joe Biden" had become a prominent slogan among Trump's supporters. The expression received widespread attention after crowds at a NASCAR race chanted it in 2021.WHITE HOUSE DEFENDS NEW PRESS AIDE
Despite the controversy surrounding the photograph and Harmony's background, the White House has strongly backed her appointment.
Deputy White House press secretary Anna Kelly praised her record as a supporter of Trump and said she would be a valuable addition to the administration.
"Beni Rae Harmony has been a trusted voice for the MAGA movement as a White House correspondent," Kelly wrote, as quoted by The Guardian. "She will be an outstanding addition to President Trump's communications team as an Assistant Press Secretary – we look forward to having her on board!"
According to her LinkedIn profile, Harmony previously worked as a producer for Turning Point USA host Jack Posobiec. She also worked as a press aide focused on "crisis management" for Gosar and former Florida congressman Matt Gaetz.
Harmony's appointment has also raised questions about the increasingly blurred boundary between political advocacy and journalism inside the Trump White House.
The administration has taken unprecedented steps to shape the press pool surrounding the president, giving greater prominence to correspondents from partisan outlets while restricting access for some organisations whose coverage Trump has criticised.
Trump has sought to exclude CNN, Politico and MS Now from the White House over what he considers excessively negative coverage. His aides have also taken a more active role in determining which news organisations get opportunities to question Trump, with correspondents supportive of him frequently given access.- Ends
