On Friday, Senator Thom Tillis (R-NC) posted the assertion that some “incompetent personal advisor” had convinced President Donald Trump he should continue pursuing his controversial “slush fund.” Commentators have been guessing the identity of said advisor ever since, and many have drawn the same conclusion: it was Trump himself.
“The President made it clear today that the so-called Anti Weaponization Fund is still alive, which is exactly why we are attempting to formally end it,” posted Tillis. “While I never disagreed that the Biden Administration pursued a number of vindictive prosecutions related to January 6, the criminals who assaulted police officers and defiled our nation’s Capitol are not ‘great American patriots’ who are ‘victims of government abuse.’ Anyone who attacked law enforcement should still be in prison, not getting a check from the federal government.”
Tillis wrote this in response to an earlier post from Trump, in which the president claimed “there has never been a group of people treated so badly in our Nation’s history,” referring to January 6 insurrectionists and saying they should be “paid back.” The Senator made it clear that he does not agree, writing, “Senator Cornyn and I have been working with Acting AG Todd Blanche to end the Anti Weaponization Fund, and he has been forthright, thoughtful and patient. It’s a shame his confirmation has hit a snag only because an incompetent personal advisor to the President refuses to amend the bogus settlement.”
The internet lit up with guesses as to who the advisor could be.
Attorney and Democratic congressional candidate George Conway, who was formerly married to one of Trump’s top first-term advisors, mused suggestively, “Is there a prediction market play on who the ‘incompetent personal advisor’ is?” One response captured the gist of his implication, guessing, “John Barron” — the name many suspect Trump uses as a pseudonym for calling into C-SPAN.
“JFC,” declared a popular political account. “The ‘incompetent personal advisor’ is TRUMP!”
“Incompetent personal advisor,” noted another. “President Trump famously almost never takes advice.”
“Is this ‘advisor’ physically inside of Trump’s head right now?” wondered another. “Answer: Yes, it’s Trump.”
“ITS THE PRESIDENT HIMSELF DIPSH–,” said another still.
Others have asserted that it could be “anyone from that garbage administration,” someone else in the GOP, or Boris Epshteyn, Trump’s personal senior counsel since 2025, whose team handled Trump’s IRS lawsuit. Many also took issue with Tillis, suggesting he was using the euphemism to avoid giving Trump his due blame.
“You’ve already pissed off Trump,” said one. “Why are you still deflecting his responsibility here?”
“Lmao dude,” said another. “YOU ARE DIRECTLY RESPONDING TO THE PRESIDENT HERE. THIS IS *HIS* POSITION. Why are you giving him the benefit of ‘bad advice?’ My god you are pathetic. “
“FFS,” one asked, “Why must you still genuflect to the cult leader?”