Mary L. Trump sharply criticized a White House Presidents Day post that paired a retouched portrait of President Trump with the caption "I was the hunted, and now I am the hunter," calling it "the message of a thug, a wannabe mafia boss." She accused the president of signaling retaliatory intent and misusing presidential power against investigators. Former president George W. Bush offered contrasting reflections on Washington's humility, while protests and a federal ruling restoring a removed statue added to a tense holiday for the administration.
Mary Trump Slams Presidents Day Post as 'Wannabe Mafia Boss' Rhetoric
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Author and clinical psychologist Mary L. Trump sharply criticized a White House Presidents Day social-media post that featured a retouched close-up of President Donald Trump at the Resolute Desk with the caption "I was the hunted, and now I am the hunter."
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On her Substack newsletter, The Good In Us, Mary Trump argued that the image and caption convey a retaliatory mindset. She wrote that by calling himself "the hunted" and then "the hunter," the president appears to be acknowledging past investigations and — in her view — signaling intent to use the powers of his office against those who investigated or prosecuted him.
Trump's niece laid into her uncle for his actions in the Oval Office. / Matthew Horwood / Getty Images
"Let’s leave aside the fact that by being 'the hunted,' Donald is referring to his having been legitimately investigated, indicted, and convicted for crimes he actually committed; and by referring to himself as 'the hunter' he is acknowledging that, because he is an aggrieved child not satisfied with having gotten away with all of those crimes, he is currently misusing the power of the presidency and the agencies he controls to go after those who investigated and prosecuted his crimes," Mary Trump wrote.
Mary Trump called the post "the message of a thug, a wannabe mafia boss" and asked whether the office of the presidency still commands respect if the occupant spends years "defiling it." She named several figures she believes are targets of potential reprisals, including Senator Adam Schiff, New York Attorney General Letitia James and former FBI Director James Comey.
Trump was on the receiving end of various attacks on Presidents Day. / SAUL LOEB / AFP via Getty Images
Other Reactions on Presidents Day
The Daily Beast said it reached out to the White House for comment.
Protests erupted outside Trump Tower on Presidents Day. / TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP via Getty Images
Former president George W. Bush also used the holiday to underscore presidential norms. In an excerpt from his new project In Pursuit, Bush praised George Washington’s humility and the tradition of presidents subordinating personal ambition to the public good, writing that Washington "modeled what it means to put the good of the nation over self-interest and selfish ambition."
Protests outside Trump Tower in New York City added to the day's tensions. Separately, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Rufe ruled that a statue depicting nine people enslaved by George Washington be restored by the National Park Service at Independence National Historical Park — reversing a removal that had been ordered at the president's direction.
Taken together, the social-media post, public rebukes and legal setbacks made Presidents Day a contentious moment for the White House and highlighted ongoing debates over presidential conduct and the norms that govern the office.
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