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 (EOP) comprises the offices and agencies that support the work of the president at the center of the executive branch of the United States federal government. The EOP consists of several offices and agenci ...

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 served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

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 and a suburb of Little Rock. It was established in 1837. At the 2010 census, the city had a population of 30,681. In 2019 the population was estimated at 36,820. ...

and graduated from

Lyon College , mottoeng = Perseverance Conquers All, God Willing. , established = , type = Private college , president = Melissa Taverner , city = Batesville , state = Arkansas , country = United States , students = 665 , faculty = 61 , campus = Rural town ...

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 The Republican Party of Arkansas (RPA), headquartered at 1201 West 6th Street in downtown Little Rock, is the affiliate of the Republican Party in Arkansas. It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all four of Arkansas' U.S ...

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 senior United States senator from Idaho, a seat he has held since 1999. A member of the Republican Party, Crapo previously served as the U.S. repres ...

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 20th lieutenant governor of Arkansas since 2015. A member of the Republican Party, he previously was the United States Attorney for the Eastern Dist ...

's campaign for

Lieutenant Governor of Arkansas The lieutenant governor of Arkansas presides over the Arkansas Senate with a Casting vote, tie-breaking vote, serves as acting governor of Arkansas when the governor is out of state and assumes the governorship in cases of impeachment, removal from ...

. In December 2014, he became the communications director for Arkansas Attorney General

Leslie Rutledge Leslie Carol Rutledge (born June 9, 1976) is an American attorney and politician from the state of Arkansas, served as the 56th attorney general of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. She is the 21st lieutenant governor of Arkansas, since 2023. Rutledge ...

, leaving in November 2017. Deere left

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

in November 2017 to work in Washington, D.C. in the

Donald Trump administration Donald Trump's tenure as the 45th president of the United States began with his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican from New York City, took office following his Electoral College victory o ...

, 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'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...

'' 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 David A. Fahrenthold (born 1978) is an American journalist who writes for ''The New York Times.'' Previously he wrote for ''The Washington Post''. He has also served as a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. In 2017, he was awarded the Pulit ...

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'', formerly 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 created ...

'' 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 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, he previously served as the 50th ...

amid criticisms that the

Trump Administration Donald Trump's tenure as the List of presidents of the United States, 45th president of the United States began with Inauguration of Donald Trump, his inauguration on January 20, 2017, and ended on January 20, 2021. Trump, a Republican Party ...

was anti-LGBTQ.

References

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