Key figures in President Donald Trump’s political operation have reportedly soured on Shad White, the Republican state auditor who intends to campaign for governor in 2027 and has attempted to replicate the political personas of the president and Vice President J.D. Vance.
A high-ranking person on Trump’s political team told Mississippi Today that several major advisors within the president’s sphere of influence don’t hold White “in high regard” because of the auditor’s ongoing feud with former NFL athlete Brett Favre, who has been caught up in the state’s massive welfare scandal.
The political official, who Mississippi Today agreed to quote anonymously so they could candidly discuss the sensitive political situation, compared White’s feud with Favre to Trump’s feud with New York Attorney General Letitia James over her civil prosecution of his business operations, which were found to have committed financial fraud.
“(White’s) fight with Brett Favre has not set right with us,” the political official said.
The recent comments follow remarks from other Trump operatives and conservative influencers and come at a time when White casts himself as Mississippi’s version of a Make America Great Again candidate as he prepares to launch a gubernatorial bid.
Navigating Favre and his connections to the Trump ecosystem is likely a political hurdle for the state auditor in his bid to become governor. Favre is a close friend of the president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., and an ally of Trump. Last year, the Hall of Fame athlete spoke at a rally for Trump’s reelection campaign in Green Bay in the crucial swing state of Wisconsin.
White, in a statement to Mississippi Today, said: “I’ve supported the President for years, his team knows this, and I’m working nonstop to advance the America First agenda here in Mississippi against the establishment swamp that’s dead set on stopping our fight for hardworking Mississippians.”
“These unsubstantiated lies you are printing about me won’t deter me or my team from finding waste and fraud and expose any abuse by politicians desperate to protect their power,” White added.
The tension between White and Favre, one of Mississippi’s most prolific athletes, stems from the state’s sprawling welfare scandal that has seen multiple people plead guilty to federal and state charges.
White said in 2020 that Favre received over $1 million in speaking fees from a nonprofit organization that spent welfare funds with approval from the Mississippi Department of Human Services, but that Favre never actually gave the speeches.
Favre has repaid the $1.1 million he received, but state officials argue he still owes about $730,000 in unpaid interest.
Neither state nor federal prosecutors have charged the former NFL athlete with a crime, but the state has civilly sued Favre, as well as roughly three dozen others, in an attempt to claw back welfare money through the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families program, which they allege was misspent.
Favre is also suing White for defamation, claiming that the auditor defamed him in media appearances. Specifically, the athlete is suing the statewide official for accusing Favre of “stealing taxpayer funds” and knowingly misusing funds “designed to serve poor folks.”
White has vigorously fought the litigation, argued that his statements about Favre were truthful and filed motions to dismiss the suit. Earlier this month, a three-judge panel of the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled against White in his attempt to dismiss the lawsuit and allowed the litigation in Hinds County Circuit Court to proceed.
Obtaining a Trump endorsement in what may likely be a crowded Republican primary for governor would be a boon to a Republican candidate in ruby-red Mississippi.
However, neither Trump himself nor his White House administration has said anything publicly about the state auditor. A White House official who was also granted anonymity told Mississippi Today that Trump has never said anything negative about White.
“Shad’s been a great supporter of the president, and the president loves all of his supporters,” the White House official said.
But other conservative media and political figures with ties to Trump have criticized White over his issues with Favre.
Charlie Kirk, a prominent conservative media personality, dedicated a segment of his show last year to defending Favre against White’s accusations and drew a comparison between White and New York Attorney General James’ prosecution of Trump.
“White knew that suing Brett would have widespread publicity, and it has,” Kirk said. “In fact, the suit has made Brett persona non grata in many circles and has damaged his ability to make a living in the state of Mississippi.”
White, at the time, responded to Kirk’s comments by saying the conservative influencer didn’t understand the basic facts of the welfare scandal.
“If you think it’s politically convenient for me to take on a Hall of Fame quarterback in Mississippi, you are stupid, stupid, stupid,” White said. “I’m not here to do what’s convenient. I’m not trying to be buddies with a famous guy, like some others. I don’t care. I’m here to do my job and tell Mississippians what happened to our money.”
Another jarring moment occurred when White was promoting his office’s efforts to find and reduce wasteful spending in state government, a move that some legislators have criticized.
“And after we’re done, I’m volunteering for duty in the Trump-Musk Commission!” White wrote.
Arthur Schwartz, a Washington political operative who’s close to the Trump family and has been an adviser to Donald Trump Jr. for years, replied to the post and said White was not “getting anywhere near a Trump admin” and that the “transition team has already been warned about you.”
Favre replied to Schwartz’s comments with two laughing emojis, prompting further back-and-forth between White and Schwartz.
The political conundrum for White comes at a time when the Mississippi public official has informally started a Mississippi Office of Government Efficiency within the State Auditor’s Office to root out government waste, modeled after Trump and Elon Musk’s federal Department of Government Efficiency.
White, on Thursday morning, posted on X that “it’s been a great five months supporting President Trump’s America First agenda!”
He’s also made social media posts suggesting there are JD Vance-equivalent nicknames for him such as “Great Value JD Vance” floating around the internet and proposed getting a “MS MUSK” car tag to show his support for Elon Musk.
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