Trump's cybersecurity chief under fire from MAGA for 'unmistakably racist reasons'

MAGA world is in full meltdown mode over President Donald Trump’s acting head of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency – but much of the social media outrage focuses on his Indian American heritage.

Politico reported earlier this week that Madhu Gottumukkala, Trump’s acting cybersecurity chief, had uploaded sensitive files last summer to a public version of ChatGPT. The report came as the Department of Homeland Security continued its probe of CISA employees who oversaw an “unsanctioned” polygraph test of the department head, which he reported failed, according to MS NOW.

But rather than focusing on the security concerns, many MAGA influencers instead zeroed in on Gottumukkala “for obviously racist reasons,” according to MS NOW opinion columnist Ja'han Jones. The attacks reflect a broader trend, he added.

“After the report, many of the responses from pro-Trump social media accounts — including prominent MAGA influencers — were basically just racist attacks focused on Gottumukkala’s Indian heritage,” Jones wrote in his Friday op-ed.

As a sample, he pointed to one X user writing: “You could pick any random midwestern White guy from a corn field, and he would be an infinitely more qualified candidate for this job."

“I can tell you for sure that there were thousands of qualified White applicants for that job who were not even considered,” another social media user wrote in response.

Jones noted that similar attacks have been directed at figures in Trump’s orbit, like FBI Director Kash Patel and Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy.

“So continues a trend that I and some of my MS NOW colleagues have written about previously: MAGA influencers attacking prominent Indian Americans who support Trump for unmistakably racist reasons,” he concluded.

“And now we can add Madhu Gottumukkala to this list as well.”