By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent
While in the White House, Former President Donald Trump enjoyed a well-earned reputation for using Twitter to attack and hit back at critics of his administration.
Since President Joe Biden took office, the use of the @WhiteHouse account on the social media platform was limited to touting specific policies and legislation for which the current administration sought to lift up.
Until now.
Whoever oversees the White House Twitter account has quickly learned the art of throwing shade and has done so by dragging certain Republicans who have bashed the administration’s new student loan forgiveness plan.
In a series of tweets, the White House spotlighted lawmakers complaining about student loan forgiveness despite the government ultimately forgiving those members of Congress Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans.
The White House account specifically homed in on GOP Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene off Georgia, Reps. Markwayne Mullin and Kevin Hern of Oklahoma, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, and Vern Buchanan of Florida.
Each received large PPP loans during the pandemic.
Greene went on television to call Biden’s student loan forgiveness unfair – to which the White House Twitter account sprang into action.
“Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene had $183,504 in PPP loans forgiven,” the White House tweeted along with a video of the congresswoman complaining about Biden’s new student loan policy.
On Fox News, Buchanan insisted, “As a blue-collar kid who worked his way through college, I know firsthand the sacrifices people make to receive an education. Biden’s reckless, unilateral student loan giveaway is unfair to the 87 percent of Americans without student loan debt and those who played by the rules.”
Tweeting the video, the White House rebuked Buchanan: “Congressman Vern Buchanan had over $2.3 million in PPP loans forgiven.”
Also, on Fox, Mullin claimed that “we do not need farmers and ranchers, small business owners, and teachers in Oklahoma paying the debts of Ivy League Lawyers and doctors across the U.S.”
To which the White House put him on blast:
“Congressman Markwayne Mullin had over $1.4 million in PPP loans forgiven.”
Responding to Hern’s tweet that claimed the administration “forced [taxpayers] to pay for other people’s college degrees,” the White House replied: “Congressman Kevin Hern had over $1 million in PPP loans forgiven.”
The White House also pointed out that Congressman Mike Kelly had $987,237 in PPP loans forgiven, and Congressman Matt Gaetz had $482,321 in PPP loans forgiven.
Social media erupted over the White House’s diss of Republicans attacking loan forgiveness.
“Today is the day that Joe Biden officially became the second Black president of the United States,” Twitter user @BlackKnight10K wrote. “Because only my people would do some [stuff] as gangster as this.”
@BlackKnight10K wasn’t done.
“Yo, the White House twitter account has temporarily reinstated slavery in the United States because they are owning every single Republican who had a PPP loan forgiven,” the user wrote.
Added U.S. Military Veteran Eric Garcia: “My house provides shelter. The White House provides shade.”
The White House “Twitter account pulling a ‘this you?’” Philip Lewis, a Huffington Post editor, tweeted.
Singer and actress Malynda Hale tweeted, “The @WhiteHouse putting Republicans on blast that had PPP loans forgiven is the kind of petty I want to see more of. Drag them. DRAG. THEM.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell of California chimed in: “Dear GOP colleagues, before you offer your hot takes on student debt relief, please make sure you or your colleagues didn’t have one of your government loans forgiven. Otherwise, I will absolutely scorch you.”
Biden also offered a hot take.
“To those Republicans in Congress who believe student debt shouldn’t be forgiven: I will never apologize for helping America’s middle class – especially not to the same folks who voted for a $2 trillion tax cut for the wealthy and giant corporations that racked up the deficit,” Biden wrote.
