White House staffer addresses past post amid conservative criticism

A staffer on the White House communications team has responded to criticism from conservatives over his past social media posts, stating those from when he was younger are not a reflection of his current views.

Tyler Cherry, who was recently promoted to the role of an associate communications director at the White House, came under scrutiny last week for circulating screenshots of his posts from 2014-2017, in which he allegedly criticized police and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

"Past social media posts from when I was younger do not reflect my current views. Period. I support this Administration's agenda - and will continue my communications work focused on our climate and environmental policies," Cherry wrote Sunday on the social platform X.

Responses to his Sunday post included several screenshots of years-old posts.

Any of Cherry's posts on X before April 2022 appear to be deleted, and the screenshots could not be independently verified as a result. The handle @TylerACherry seen in the screenshots is the same as Cherry's current X account name.

In a pair of screenshots from January 2015, Cherry allegedly wrote, "Police = slave patrols. Voter ID = poll taxes. #NAACPBombing = KKK bombings. Neither slavery nor Jim Crow WERE THAT LONG AGO. We just evolved."

"Apt time to recall that the modern day police system is a direct evolution of slave patrols and lynch mobs #McKinney," Cherry added, days after footage of a white officer in McKinney, Texas, circulated showing him cursing, pointing his weapon at two Black teenagers and wrestling a 14-year-old girl to the ground after being called to a pool party.

In another screenshot of an apparent post from August 2014, Cherry weighed in on the American weapons sales to Israel when responding to Samantha Power, the former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, who said the U.S. "strongly support[ed]" the U.N.'s humanitarian work during the 2014 Gaza war.

"@AmbassadorPower @shebenatalie @UNRWA and yet continues to let Israeli forces restock their arsenals with US ammunition and weapons," Cherry wrote.

The Hill reached out to the White House for comment.

Cherry, who is openly gay, previously served as principal deputy communications director for the Interior Department and faced separate online attacks last year.

In October, the right-wing social media account LibsofTikTok criticized Cherry’s appearance on X by sharing photographs and old posts from Cherry. The posts sparked a debate over Cherry's style and prompted criticism from conservative voices over what it means to appear professional.

The White House at the time condemned the attacks, defending Cherry as an invaluable member of the team.

“No one should be targeted simply for being themselves. It is cruel and unacceptable,” the White House previously said. “This is an administration that believes to our core in the principle that out of many, we are one — and we are proud that the people who serve in it reflect those values as well. Tyler is an invaluable member of our team who continues to deliver for the Department of the Interior and the American people.”

Cherry is also an activist for LGBTQ rights and is part of a queer DJ collective in D.C., per The Washington Post, and began working for the Interior Department at the start of the Biden administration.