Donald Trump accidentally posted an incendiary private message to Attorney General Pam Bondi on his public Truth Social account… According to The Wall Street Journal, Trump believed he was sending Bondi a private message, insisting she prosecute his nemesis and former FBI director, James Comey, along with other targets.
RawStory adds: “the President of the United States communicating with his cabinet via Truth Social direct message is both insane and a violation of the Presidential Records Act,” former Obama administration staffer Dan Pfeiffer posted on X.
Archive article: https://archive.is/zy8Eo
RawStory article: https://www.rawstory.com/trump-2674167645/
Stylistically, it was a clear deviation from how he typically writes public posts. It read like a private DM, not a public post. It was speculated at the time that the post was meant to be private. WSJ story got insider information that confirms that speculation.
Doesn’t seem like it to me tbh. I think it only seems like that because it isnt his usual inflammatory old-man-word-salad and is just a soft warning for Bondi to “do your job or I will turn MAGA on you.”
I’m with you, it seemed still sufficiently performative to be really intended to get his base in on the pressure to go after his personal enemies.
I think the two main tells are that he addressed it directly to the recipient, and that he “signed” it (instead of thanking society for their attention to the matter).