Richard Grenell attempted to shame New York Times journalist Elizabeth Williamson by sharing their text exchange, but instead found himself roasted on social media.
The former president and executive director for the Kennedy Center took to X Monday evening and accused Williamson of being “a left wing hack who lies about Republicans” after she inquired via text about his exit from the performing arts venue.
“Elizabeth Williamson isn’t a journalist,” Grenell wrote. “She is a left wing hack who lies about Republicans. All the time. I’m not falling for her agenda-drive tactics. I’m exposing her. Here is the text exchange I just had with her proving she lies.”
As Grenell continued, he called for Williamson to be fired, adding, “Can you imagine putting in writing that you will just say, ‘I declined the comment,’ because you don’t like my comment? The New York Times should launch an investigation into her previous work.”
In screenshots shared alongside his post, Williamson can be seen asking the Trump ally, “I know the president said he’s looking for your next venture, but any ideas what you’ll do next? Any general comment on what has proven a turbulent year for you in the administration?”
Grenell responded to Williamson’s query by accusing her of being only “interested in attacking Republicans and manipulating the news for your own far left agenda.”
Elizabeth Williamson isn’t a journalist. She is a left wing hack who lies about Republicans. All the time.
— Richard Grenell (@RichardGrenell) March 16, 2026
I’m not falling for her agenda-drive tactics. I’m exposing her.
Here is the text exchange I just had with her proving she lies. @NYTLiz should be fired.
Can you imagine… pic.twitter.com/OCQntJ4aLZ
Instead of responding to Grenell’s accusations, Williamson once again asked for an answer to her questions, noting she would say he “declined to answer them” if he did not. Grenell then replied: “I didn’t decline to answer. Lol. You just don’t get to approve the answers.”
While Grenell’s post was meant to put Williamson on blast, it appeared to have the opposite effect, with many users calling out the special presidential envoy for special missions on X.
“I love that you think showing how rude and non-responsive you are is somehow a win,” one critic responded. Another chimed in with, “You lost this one by a country mile. Not the flex you were hoping for. So what’s your next gig?”
A third noted, “Saying you declined to answer them, is actually her being quite nice to you, buddy.”
A fourth sounded off, “The q was a very simply ask [sic] re what your plans might be. She wasn’t demeaning you or suggesting anything about your departure. Instead of answering the question, you called her a hack. That is declining to answer. If this is how you treat people, you don’t belong in government.”
Williamson herself weighed in on the social media callout by simply sharing a link to her article, titled “A Hard-Knock Life: A Trump Cabinet Hopeful Is Moved Offstage.”
Grenell’s social media drama comes three days after President Donald Trump shared Kennedy Center VP of Operations Matt Floca would replace him as head of the Kennedy Center following his exit.
“Ric Grenell has done an excellent job in helping to coordinate various elements of the Center during the transition period, and I want to thank him for the outstanding work he has done,” the president wrote at the time. “THE TRUMP KENNEDY CENTER will be, at its completion, the finest facility of its kind anywhere in the World!”
The news arrived a month after Trump announced that the Kennedy Center would close down for two years starting on July 4 for renovations. That update came after the building name change and Trump fixing himself as chair of the center’s board and replacing a majority of its members with loyalists, which led to a cascade of cancellations from performers.
