BBC Homepage
  • Skip to content
  • Accessibility Help
  • Your account
  • Notifications
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • More menu
More menu
Search BBC
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
Close menu
BBC News
Menu
  • Home
  • InDepth
  • Israel-Gaza war
  • War in Ukraine
  • Climate
  • UK
  • World
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Culture
More
  • Tech
  • Science
  • Health
  • Family & Education
  • In Pictures
  • Newsbeat
  • BBC Verify
  • Disability
  • BBC Trending

The Pentagon accidentally retweets call for Trump to resign

  • Published
    17 November 2017
Share page
About sharing
Twitter and trumpImage source, Getty Images
Rozina Sini
BBC UGC & Social News

It holds nuclear missile codes, it's in charge of the security of the United States, and its ultimate boss, the US president, is a prolific tweeter. But when it comes to handling its own Twitter account, the Pentagon could do with improving its skills.

On Thursday the US Department of Defense accidentally retweeted a tweet calling for Donald Trump to resign as US president.

The original tweet, external which also called for two other US politicians to step down following sexual harassment allegations was tweeted from an account belonging to @ProudResister, external, an anti-Trump activist.

It said: "The solution is simple. Roy Moore: Step down from the race. Al Franken: Resign from congress, Donald Trump: Resign from the presidency. GOP: Stop making sexual assault a partisan issue. It's a crime as is your hypocrisy."

The Pentagon's main account, external retweeted the message to its 5.2 million followers before quickly deleting it. But the embarrassing blunder did not go unnoticed. A screen shot of the Pentagon's retweet was itself retweeted and shared, and the reaction to it was swift.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post by Dave Brown

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post by Dave Brown

"Uh someone made a mistake," posted, external one Twitter user.

Another user tweeted, external: "Looks like that ex-Twitter employee found a new gig at the Pentagon," referring to a similar social media blunder earlier this month when a Twitter employee deactivated President Trump's account on their last day in the job.

At the time, the president brushed off the 11-minute Twitter outage, external, but the incident raised questions about the security of President Trump's account.

You might like:

  • Twitter employee 'deactivated' Trump account on last day

  • Donald Trump Jr releases Twitter exchanges with Wikileaks

  • Trump ally Roger Stone suspended from Twitter

Chief Pentagon spokesperson Dana White tweeted an explanation of how the post got out to its followers.

This X post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on X
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip X post 2 by Dana W. White - DoD

Allow X content?

This article contains content provided by X. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read X’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
End of X post 2 by Dana W. White - DoD

But many social media users were dissatisfied by the response.

"Are we supposed to believe this was done by mistake? Somebody in @DeptofDefense needs to be fired along with anybody working with them," posted, external one Twitter user.

However, another saw the funny side and tweeted a joke response from the Pentagon, external: "There has been no coup. The President is safe."

Next story from Trending: A failed alt-right hoax to make Sweden's flag 'Islamic'

fake Swedish flag

Internet pranksters tried to start a hoax campaign to change the cross on the Swedish flag to a Turkish-style crescent and star. READ MORE

You can follow BBC Trending on Twitter @BBCtrending, external, and find us on Facebook, external. All our stories are at bbc.com/trending.

More on this story

  • Commander in Tweet

    • Published
      12 December 2016
    Twitter and trump
  • Far-right tweeters lose verified tick

    • Published
      16 November 2017
    Richard Spencer and Tommy Robinson
  • Card game aims to trump Trump's wall

    • Published
      15 November 2017
    Playing cards, a dollar and a chip
  • Why people are posting #MeAt14

    • Published
      13 November 2017
    Alyssa Milano
  • Trump: Al Franken photo 'really bad'

    • Published
      17 November 2017
    Franken gropes the accuser while smiling

Top stories

  • Children to be offered chickenpox vaccine on NHS

    • Published
      15 minutes ago
  • Ministers didn't do cost review of council mergers

    • Published
      6 hours ago
  • Minneapolis school attacker 'obsessed with idea of killing children', officials say

    • Published
      2 hours ago

More to explore

  • 'The whole town is on a high': What Grimsby's dramatic win over Man Utd means to fans

    A man in his 60s with short grey hair fist pumps the air in celebration. He is wearing a black and white Grimsby Town shirt.
  • Lives torn apart in Kyiv after Russia's heaviest bombardment for weeks

    Ukrainian Red Cross members provide first aid to a wounded woman at the site of a Russian missile strike on a residential building on August 28, 2025 in Kyiv,
  • What are Rachel Reeves' options on property tax?

    A woman walking her dog stands outside of an estate agent's window looking at prices
  • The Summer I Turned Pretty fans told to stop abuse of cast

    Christopher Briney, Lola Tung and Gavin Casalegno in a promotional photo for The Summer I Turned Pretty
  • 'Our hot homes are making our children sick'

    A nine year old girl wearing a black print t-shirt stands beside her mother who is wearing a long sleeved green t-shirt
  • Jacqueline Wilson on the 'easiest and hardest book I've ever written'

    Jacqueline Wilson
  • Minneapolis mourns two children killed in shooting - here's what we know

    People gather outdoors while holding candles at a vigil for the victims of the shooting,  at a local park at the Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis on Wednesday evening.
  • Woman says Zou raped her hours before other attack

    Treated image of Zhenhao Zou featuring his police mugshot. He is looking straight at the camera with a serious expression. He has straight dark hair with a long fringe and is wearing a white t-shirt and black shirt.
  • Spain and Portugal wildfires drive worst EU season on record

    Copernicus Sentinel-2 satellite image acquired on 16 August shows multiple fires in northern Spain.
loading elsewhere stories

Most read

  1. 1

    'They think itch all over' and 'fears over tax raid'

  2. 2

    Ministers didn't do cost review of council mergers

  3. 3

    Minneapolis school attacker 'obsessed with idea of killing children', officials say

  4. 4

    'It's a chaotic mess': UK firms warn over US small parcel tax

  5. 5

    White House names RFK Jr deputy as replacement CDC director

  6. 6

    Children to be offered chickenpox vaccine on NHS

  7. 7

    The Druids Oak is 800 years old - can it help save tomorrow's forests?

  8. 8

    MSP locked out of parliament after secret toilet camera claims

  9. 9

    George Clooney film praised as 'midlife crisis masterpiece'

  10. 10

    European leaders outraged after Russian strikes kill 23 and damage EU's HQ

BBC News Services

  • On your mobile
  • On smart speakers
  • Get news alerts
  • Contact BBC News

Best of the BBC

  • The ups and downs of a 30-year marriage

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Marriage
  • Bewitching drama from Anne Rice

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Mayfair Witches
  • Lies, forgeries and fraud worth $86 million

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    The Great Art Fraud
  • A celebration of Britain's finest composers

    • Attribution
      iPlayer
    Great British Classics at the Proms
  • Home
  • News
  • Sport
  • Weather
  • iPlayer
  • Sounds
  • Bitesize
  • CBBC
  • CBeebies
  • Food
  • Terms of Use
  • About the BBC
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookies
  • Accessibility Help
  • Parental Guidance
  • Contact the BBC
  • Make an editorial complaint
  • BBC emails for you

Copyright © 2025 BBC. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking.