Tech

State Department Website Briefly Says Trump’s Presidency Ends Tonight

WTF?

A rogue staffer was behind the change, sources told The Daily Beast.

Screen_Shot_2021-01-11_at_3.14.37_PM_lbe70h
Screenshot via State Department.

The U.S. State Department’s website was updated Monday with a puzzling message: both Donald Trump and Mike Pence’s terms are scheduled to end Monday night. The change—which lit up social media—was the work of a rogue staffer, sources told The Daily Beast. Trump and Pence’s biographies on the website included a line saying their terms “ended on 2021-01-11.” Their terms are actually set to expire on Jan. 20. Minutes after the changes were reported, the pages had been replaced with a message, saying, “We’re sorry, this site is currently experiencing technical difficulties. Please try again in a few moments.” The State Department’s press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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