Donald Trump Jr.’s X account was hacked, his spokesman says

Washington CNN  — 

A spokesman for Donald Trump said Wednesday that Donald Trump Jr.’s account on X – the platform formerly known as Twitter – was compromised after posts appeared that shared racist posts.

“Don’s account has been hacked,” Surabian posted on X, adding that a post claiming the former president had died was “obviously not true.”

The account shared racist and erratic posts on the platform. In one post, the account posted that that his father, former President Donald Trump, had died and Trump Jr. would be running for president in his place.

The offending messages have since been removed.

CNN has reached out to X for comment.

The incident raises fresh questions about X’s role in securing user accounts, particularly those belonging to high-profile political figures as the platform prepares for the 2024 elections. In August, X said it is staffing up on its safety and election teams following mass layoffs last year that according to owner Elon Musk ultimately eliminated more than 80% of the company’s headcount.

The company is also still under investigation by the Federal Trade Commission over its ability to sufficiently protect user privacy and whether it may have violated binding commitments it made in 2011 to securing the platform.

This story is breaking and will be updated.