Who are Benjamin Ellisten, Maxim Lott? 5 things on White House officials amid alleged 'getting rid' of Trump speech
Benjamin Ellisten and Maxim Lott are two White House officials who allegedly spoke against President Donald Trump and his administration.
Benjamin Ellisten and Maxim Lott are two White House officials who allegedly spoke against President Donald Trump and his administration. Ellisten allegedly even spoke about ‘getting rid’ of Trump as per James O' Keefe, who released an audio of the officials.

As per a report from Tucker Carlson's Daily Caller, the White House put Ellisten on administrative leave. HT.com could not independently verify the information about Ellisten and Lott.
However, the report on the two White House officials openly caught expressing anti-Trump sentiments has captured the attention of many online.
“He needs to be fired immediately,” a pro-MAGA page wrote. Another added “Traitors.. or actors everywhere. Or both.” Yet another said “Beware of snakes in your midst!”. Videos of Ellisten and Lott were shared online as well.
Here's all you need to know about Benjamin Ellisten and Maxim Lott.
Benjamin Ellisten: 5 things to know
- Ellisten has been identified as a senior budget analyst and funding manager for the White House, as per Daily Caller.
- Ellisten allegedly said that Trump is a ‘madman’ who is 'f*cking it up for everybody.
- Ellisten has reportedly worked at the White House since 2024.
- Ellisten made explosive allegations about Trump. He said Trump was a ‘mess’ and they were going to ‘get rid’ of him. “Literally. He’s invincible. Nothing can stop him, and that’s dangerous,” Ellisten allegedly said. He allegedly added “The way his decisions are so erratic, you would think he drinks. He doesn’t drink. And that’s what makes it so dangerous, that someone could be of sound mind and body, totally coherent, could just be so reckless in their decision-making. That’s scary.”
- Ellisten also allegedly speculated that Trump was intentionally inflating oil prices to enrich himself and family members in the region.
The White House reportedly told Daily Caller “He has no direct access to the President or Senior Staff, and does not work on the White House campus,” when asked about Ellisten. Meanwhile, Lott allegedly shared details about ‘chaotic’ workings of the Trump administration.
Maxim Lott: 5 things to know
- Lott is reportedly a special assistant on domestic policy at the White House.
- As per his LinkedIn, Lott is also the founder of MaximumTruth.org, which describes itself as using ‘data to answer questions that the media ignore.’ He also founded ElectionBettingOdds.com.
- Prior to the White House post, Lott worked for Fox News, his LinkedIn notes.
- Lott studied at William & Mary, graduating with a BA in economics and math. He attended the Strath Haven High School, as per his LinkedIn.
- Lott allegedly said of the Trump administration “The decision-making processes are a little bit chaotic.” He allegedly added “I think it’s just the overall tone that, like, you know, the government right now is a little bit uncontrolled. It’s not gonna fix itself.” He also alleged that lower levek White House officials occasionally make policy determinations on behalf of the president.
Lott responded to O'Keefe's team saying “I went out with an individual I thought was a genuine person, but it goes to show how insidious politics and this city can be. Nothing I said was contradictory of this Administration, and I remain fully committed to carrying out its agenda,” after the row over his and Ellisten's remarks.
ABOUT THE AUTHORShuvrajit Das BiswasShuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More

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