Bad Twitter day: Spicer tweets ‘his password,’ Trump caught using Gmail for POTUS handle
President Donald Trump and his press secretary, Sean Spicer, came under fire over Twitter after it was revealed the new administration was using Gmail for official accounts. Spicer was also trolled online after seemingly tweeting his pass codes, twice.
Donald Trump was busted by security-savvy users, who uncovered that his POTUS handle was linked to an ordinary Gmail account with no two-step verification. As anyone can view part of the email used in the default Twitter password recovery menu, several screenshots were shared Thursday alleging the email linked to POTUS was ds******************@gmail.com.
Are you actually fucking kidding me
— Alex Zalben (@azalben) January 26, 2017
(and yes this is real, @POTUS is tied to a Gmail account) pic.twitter.com/LUdeNkEF1O
Seven days! SEVEN DAYS, they've had the President's Twitter account attached to a PERSONAL E-MAIL ADDRESS.
— Alex Zalben (@azalben) January 26, 2017
After the news had spread across social media, the email addresses associated with the president, vice president and first lady had all been changed from Gmail to the secure White House email addresses.
The @POTUS account now seems to be associated with new addresses but I bet he got about a billion password change emails today pic.twitter.com/JX6BIdIo7P
— Kayla Epstein (@KaylaEpstein) January 26, 2017
.@azalben Update: The addresses have been changed! No more Gmail. (But Potus & Flotus still missing the extra security step.)
— Aimee Rawlins (@aimeerawlins) January 26, 2017
Earlier this week, CNN reported it had gotten in touch with Trump’s head of social media, Dan Scanvino, after it had been warned by a hacker known as WauchulaGhost that Twitter handles connected to the new administration had security vulnerabilities due to a lack of two-step verification.
😂 I Just discovered that everything I wrote to Obama as @POTUS now looks like I wrote it to Trump! Hope he changed the password...
— mariska barsi (@MariskaBarsi) January 25, 2017
In a separate blunder, Spicer found himself at the center of a Twitterstorm after he sent a series of jumbled tweets.
Did the White House Press Secretary just tweet his password? I don't know about y'all but I feel safe https://t.co/ulRm31iVC0pic.twitter.com/zokfVvWVnQ
— Anna Massoglia (@annalecta) January 26, 2017
This gaffe was particularly poorly timed given the White House’s agenda for the day, as outlined on Wednesday by President Trump on Twitter.
Big day planned on NATIONAL SECURITY tomorrow. Among many other things, we will build the wall!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
Tongue-in-cheek speculation online has been rife with theories ranging from a simple internet faux pas (accidentally tweeting your password) to something potentially apocalyptic, such as accidentally tweeting the country’s nuclear launch codes.
#Spicer is tweeting his passwords, #Trump is using an unsecured android and the world wonders Is @Aiannucci pulling the strings here? https://t.co/NPdhh4K2ri
— simon clydesdale (@simonclydesdale) January 26, 2017
I think what happened is he was texted a 2FA code by Twitter, and accidentally pasted his real password in and replied pic.twitter.com/8TUS5qrrGY
— Alex Hern (@alexhern) January 26, 2017
@PressSec accidently post #trump's #nuclearcodes#BREAKING#news: #moron causes #armaggedonpic.twitter.com/UnUFpwRjeZ
— Paul Manning (@mobinfiltrator) January 26, 2017
Others online were quick to point out that this is the second time in two days that Spicer has tweeted such cryptic messages.
Meet the new #bqhatevwr. #Aqenbpuupic.twitter.com/k4VNFO0Y5T
— Jeff, resisting (@JT__Orlando) January 25, 2017
This led one netizen to claim Spicer's mysterious tweets are in fact a cry for help.
I held Sean Spicer's mysterious tweet up to the light. pic.twitter.com/uDiKto56pN
— Ivan the K™ (@IvanTheK) January 26, 2017