Judson P. Deere (born November 28, 1987) is an American political advisor who served as

deputy assistant to the president The Executive Office of the President of the United States (EOP) comprises the offices and list of federal agencies in the United States, agencies that support the work of the President of the United States, president at the center of governmen ...

and

White House deputy press secretary The White House Office of the Press Secretary, or the Press Office, is responsible for gathering and disseminating information to three principal groups: the president, the White House staff, and the media. The office is headed by the White House ...

in the administration of

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

Early life and education

Deere was born in

Benton, Arkansas Benton is a city in and the county seat of Saline County, Arkansas, United States. A suburb of Little Rock, it was established in 1837. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,014, making it the 12th most populous city in Arkansa ...

, and graduated from Lyon College in 2010 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and history. Mr. Deere was previously married to Meagan Bullock. They graduated from Lyon College.

Career

Deere began his career as a field director for the Republican Party of Arkansas during the 2010 election. He then became an aide to U.S. Senator

John Boozman John Nichols Boozman ( ; born December 10, 1950) is an American politician and former optometrist serving as the senior United States senator from Arkansas, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was the U.S. repre ...

, as Correspondence and Systems Director. In June 2012, he was hired as Director of New Media for U.S. Senator

Mike Crapo Michael Dean Crapo ( ; born May 20, 1951) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from Idaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Rep ...

and was based in his Washington, D.C. office. In 2014, Deere worked for

Tim Griffin John Timothy Griffin (born August 21, 1968) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas, attorney general of Arkansas. He served as the 20th Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas, lieutenant governor of Arkans ...

's campaign for

Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas The lieutenant governor of Arkansas is the second-highest constitutional and elected office in the U.S. state of Arkansas. The lieutenant governor is the first in the Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Arkansas, gubernatorial ...

. In December 2014, he became the communications director for Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, leaving in November 2017. Deere left

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...

in November 2017 to work in Washington, D.C. in the Donald Trump administration, as director of state and local communications in the White House. In September 2018, he was promoted to Special Assistant to the President and Director of Media Affairs. In January 2019, he was appointed Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Press Secretary. On August 27, 2020, Deere, while acting as a spokesman for the Trump Administration White House sent a threat letter to ''

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' newspaper demanding that they cease reporting on the business dealings of the Trump Organization, a private company. Deere also advised that the White House had assembled a "dossier" on Post reporter David Fahrenthold for criticism of the Administration. Fahrenthold has reported on Trump family's business interests for several years now, but perhaps his best-known article about the President was his 2016 scoop about ''

Access Hollywood ''Access Hollywood'', briefly known as ''Access'' from 2017 to 2019, is an American weekday television entertainment news program that premiered on September 9, 1996. It covers events and celebrities in the entertainment industry. It was create ...

'' tapes, which showed the future President describing how he felt stardom gave him permission to assault women. Deere's threatening comments were included in a response to a request for comment on an article that shows the U.S. Secret Service has spent more than $900,000 at Trump properties during Trump's presidency.

Personal life

Deere, who is openly gay, has defended

and

Mike Pence Michael Richard Pence (born June 7, 1959) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 48th vice president of the United States from 2017 to 2021 under President Donald Trump. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Repub ...

amid criticisms that the Trump Administration was anti-LGBTQ.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Deere, Judd First Trump administration personnel People from Benton, Arkansas Arkansas Republicans 1987 births Living people Lyon College alumni American gay politicians LGBTQ appointed officials in the United States LGBTQ people from Arkansas