About
Dan Scavino is the former White House deputy chief of staff for communications serving in the role from 2019–21 as well as deputy chief for social media from 2017–21. He was also the general manager of Trump National Golf Club Westchester and the director of social media for Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. Tied to the former president since Trump hand picked him to be his caddy at the age of 16, he is the former president’s longest-serving aide and has been described by others in the inner circle as “the conductor of the Trump Train.”
As the head of Trump’s Golf Club, Scavino oversaw the hiring of undocumented migrant workers despite the former president’s hardline stance on illegal immigration. During the 2016 presidential campaign, Scavino was widely criticized for posting an anti-semitic tweet on Trump’s Twitter account that featured a six-pointed star, a pile of cash, and the words “most corrupt candidate ever.”
January 6, 2021
- According to Peril, a book by Robert Costa and Bob Woodward, Scavino participated in a January 5th discussion with Trump on how to convince congressional members not to certify the election for Biden. Prior to the March to Save America on the 6th, Scavino promoted the event on Twitter, encouraging people to come to the rally and “be a part of history.”
- After the insurrection as various members of Trump’s cabinet and administration resigned, Scavino tweeted: “While cancel culture kicks into high gear, and blacklisting of our names for future employment is underway, stay strong, and we will all prevail!”
- In October 2021, Scavino was subpoenaed by the House Select Committee investigating the Jan. 6 insurrection. Reports indicated that since it took several days for Committee officials to track him down, he had been trying to avoid being served with the subpoena.
- In March 2022, the House Select Committee voted to hold Scavino in contempt of Congress for failing to cooperate with the committee. Speaking about him and fellow Trump aide Peter Navarro, who was also held in contempt, Committee Chair Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) said, “They’re not fooling anybody. They are obligated to comply with our investigation. They have refused to do so. And that’s a crime.”
- In a decision Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a member of the committee, called “deeply troubling,” the Justice Department subsequently declined to charge Scavino with contempt of Congress.
- In September 2022, the DOJ issued its own subpoena to Scavino as part of its ongoing investigation of the insurrection.
The Big Lie
- As the only other person besides Trump with access to posting on the @realDonaldTrump Twitter account, Scavino helped shape, promote and perpetuate the Big Lie. Though Trump famously wrote most of his own tweets, Scavino directed “the overall tone of Trump’s feed, often taking other staffers’ suggestions for tweets and adapting them to ‘Trump it up….’”
- The day after the attack on the Capitol, Scavino tweeted a statement from Trump saying that even though he would agree to an orderly transition of power “I totally disagree with the outcome of the election.”
Election Audits
- Scavino helped draw attention to the Arizona audit in Maricopa County through various social media posts and resharing of links to the audit’s official page.