Darren Beattie, a State Department hire, wrote on X on Oct. 4, 2024: âCompetent white men must be in charge if you want things to work,â followed by a statement criticizing âcoddling the feelings of women and minoritiesâ and âdemoralizing competent white men.â
In early February 2025, reports stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was appointing Beattie to serve as undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs. The position requires Senate confirmation and places the officeholder in charge of the State Departmentâs outreach and public messaging.
Beattieâs authorship of the Oct. 2024 post was confirmed via his verified X profile, cross-referenced through links and citations to the same account in Revolver News, where he announced on Feb. 3, 2025 that he would take a leave of absence to serve in the Department of State. Additional confirmation of the accountâs authenticity was cited through public tagging by a former Trump administration official celebrating Beattieâs appointment.