White House Sparks Outrage After Posting Video

The Trump White House is under heavy fire after posting a triumphalist video that included an unedited racial slur from a Notorious B.I.G. track — a move critics say reflects the administration’s increasingly reckless approach to foreign policy and public messaging.

The video, released January 3 on the official White House X account, was meant to showcase the dramatic U.S. operation that captured Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro. Instead, it touched off a political uproar the administration did not seem prepared for.

The clip opens with a doctored shot of Maduro speaking Spanish, taunting the U.S. with the phrase, “Come get me.”

It then cuts to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who delivers a line pulled straight from 1990s hip-hop culture: “If you don’t know, now you know.”

If you don’t know, now you know 🦅 pic.twitter.com/XrIps1OzY4

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 3, 2026

The White House then added the opening verse from Notorious B.I.G.’s song Hypnotize — without censoring the n-word. The line aired in full to more than 30 million viewers before the administration realized it had detonated a political grenade.

“It’s unbelievable,” said civil rights advocate Jonathan Fields in an interview. “A racial slur coming from an official White House channel. This is what communication under Trump’s second term has become — chaotic, unvetted, and dangerously unserious.”

Even some former administration aides expressed disbelief. One former White House digital staffer told us, “Every post was supposed to go through multi-layer review. Under Trump 2.0, that guardrail is gone.”

The public response on X was immediate — and unfiltered.

“The White House just posted the n-word. This is where we are now,” one user wrote.

Another added, “I can’t tell if this is terrifying or performance art.”

Many Black users criticized what they saw as cultural theft and disrespect. One wrote, “It’s wild that they’ll borrow Black culture but won’t listen to Black voters.”

Others mocked the amateurish tone of the post. “I thought it was a parody account,” a viewer wrote. “Nope. It’s the real White House.”

A small but loud contingent of Trump supporters cheered the video.

“It’s a bad day to be a dictator,” one wrote. Another said, “Give that intern a raise.”

The White House still has not removed the post.

Maduro’s dramatic seizure came after a Trump-ordered overnight strike on January 2, part of a broader military push the administration claims is aimed at “restoring democracy” in Venezuela. Human rights observers warn the operation may have violated international law.

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured inside a heavily fortified compound outside Caracas. According to a senior intelligence official, U.S. forces stormed the site after intercepting communications suggesting Maduro was trying to escape to a secure bunker.

President Trump announced the capture on Truth Social, calling it “a historic victory for freedom.” He did not mention civilian casualties reportedly caused by the strike.

A former Obama-era diplomat criticized the move. “This was reckless force dressed up as foreign policy,” she told us. “And now the administration is making meme videos about it.”

Maduro appeared in federal court in New York on Monday. He pleaded not guilty to multiple charges, including drug trafficking and corruption.

“I am not guilty. I am still the president of my country,” Maduro said, while alleging he was “kidnapped” and forcibly removed. His remarks caused audible gasps in the courtroom.

Legal scholars expect a long, politically explosive trial.

“This is no ordinary case,” said Georgetown law professor Dana Serrano. “Trying a foreign head of state on U.S. soil is unprecedented. And doing it under a president who celebrates the capture with rap lyrics only deepens international concern.”

The video incident is the latest in a series of communications missteps since Trump returned to office in 2025.

A former Biden aide summed it up bluntly:

“Diplomacy by meme. Foreign policy by shock value. And now racial slurs in White House videos. This isn’t leadership. It’s chaos in real time.”

Democratic lawmakers are calling for an inquiry into who approved the clip, and whether federal communication protocols were violated.

For now, the White House has offered no apology and no explanation — only silence as the outrage mounts.