Claim:
U.S. State Department hire Darren Beattie wrote on X that “competent white men must be in charge if things are to work.” Unfortunately, our entire national philosophy is built on appeasing the sensibilities of women and minorities while depressing capable white males.”
Rating:
In February 2025, news reports surfaced that US President Donald Trump’s new Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, was nominating Darren Beattie to a crucial position in the State Department. Beattie was a speechwriter during Trump’s first term and will be appointed undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs.
After word of his hiring spread, numerous social media users shared old postings from his X account, in which he purportedly stated that “competent white men must be in charge” for things to work.
(Facebook user Joy Reid)
Beattie made the above message in October 2024, according to his verified X profile. As such, we consider this an accurate attribution.
On October 4, 2024, Beattie wrote (archived) on X.
Competent white men must be in charge if you want things to work.
Unfortunately, our entire national ideology is predicated on coddling the feelings of women and minorities, and demoralizing competent white men.
We confirmed that this was his actual account by cross-referencing tweets he made on Revolver, a conservative news website where he worked. On February 3, 2025, Beattie informed site readers that he would be “taking a leave of absence from direct editorial involvement” at Revolver.
He wrote in a statement:
Now, thanks to President Trump’s miraculous victory, we have entered the beginning of a new Golden Age—of success, prosperity, legitimacy, and accountability. I have been given the great honor of serving once again in Trump’s administration, this time in the Department of State. Helping Secretary Rubio and my esteemed colleagues in the State Department fulfill President Trump’s agenda will require every ounce of my focus and energy; accordingly, I will, for the time being, suspend my direct editorial involvement in Revolver News. I want to reassure my beloved readers that Revolver remains in good hands and that the exceptionally talented team that remains is the same team that has been on board since day one and has been indispensable to our success. Rest assured, Revolver will continue to provide the fearless, cutting-edge, America First reporting that our readers expect and deserve.
The Revolver story mentions the same X account (@DarrenJBeattie), including this July 2024 post in which he claimed that he was fired from former US President Joe Biden’s cabinet owing to media pressure.
Beattie was ousted from his post in the first Trump administration in 2018 when news reports surfaced that he spoke at a 2016 conference attended by white supremacists.
News publications such as The Washington Post have also validated his X account. Former Trump administration official Jeremy Carl tagged (archived) the same X account to celebrate Beattie’s appointment, stating, “My friend @DarrenJBeattie will be the acting Undersecretary of Public Diplomacy at State.” As a result, we can certify that this is Beattie’s legitimate account on X.
Beattie’s new position as undersecretary, which requires Senate confirmation, will put him in charge of the State Department’s outreach and public message. According to the Washington Post, former occupants of this position had a significant role in the department’s operations.
