Federal Workers Can’t Get the White House’s App Off Their Phones
Key takeaways
- “I deleted it as a test and it came immediately back,” says an employee from the USDA.
- The app, which debuted in March, promises a mixture of “real-time updates, live events, and direct access to the Presidency,” according to the White House website.
- Under the “Social” section of the app, users can see posts from the White House X account, Trump’s own Truth Social posts, and videos shared on official TikTok and Instagram accounts, among other platforms.
Why this matters: a development in AI with implications for how people work, create, and decide.
Photo-Illustration: Jobanny Cabrera; Getty Images Comment Loader Save Story Save this story Comment Loader Save Story Save this story In May, the White House announced that its new app would be automatically downloaded onto the work phones of millions of government employees. The problem: Federal workers hate it and can’t get rid of it.
Employees of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), the State Department, and the Department of Labor (DOL), who spoke to WIRED on the condition of anonymity due to fear of retaliation, say that they were disturbed when the app appeared on their phones. Some attempted to delete it, but to no avail.
“I deleted it as a test and it came immediately back,” says an employee from the USDA.