Agency: Executive Office of the President / White House Office of Communications (January 2025); then Department of State / Bureau of Global Public Affairs (January 2026) Role: Special Assistant to the President and Assistant Communications Director for Special Projects (January 2025 – January 2026); subsequently Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs (January 26, 2026 – present) Severity: P2 Status: Departed White House role January 2026; currently serving as Assistant Secretary of State while also leading NSC communications

Quick Navigation

• Bio and Background
• Role and Communications Function
• Messaging Strategy
• Significant Public Statements
• Controversies
• Overall Veracity Track Record
• Social Media Accounts
• Key Source Links

Bio and Background {#bio}

Dylan Johnson is a political communications and government affairs professional from Harrisonville, Missouri, who graduated from Harrisonville High School before entering conservative politics and government. A local newspaper noted in February 2025 that “in just nine years, Dylan Johnson has gone from sitting at desks at Harrisonville High School to a desk in the West Wing of the White House,” suggesting a graduation year around 2016.

Johnson’s early career ran through Missouri conservative politics. He served in the Trump first administration in the Office of Presidential Advance — the unit responsible for staging presidential events. He simultaneously or subsequently worked in the Office of the Governor of Missouri, serving as Director of Advance under Governor Eric Greitens. When Greitens resigned in June 2018 amid multiple concurrent investigations — including sexual misconduct allegations and a criminal charge related to the alleged use of a charity donor list for campaign purposes — Johnson’s gubernatorial role ended.

Johnson went on to found Octavian Group LLC, a political consulting firm, through which he maintained financial ties to Greitens. Campaign finance records filed with the Federal Election Commission show that Greitens for Missouri paid Johnson $54,747 in “campaign worker compensation” between March 2019 and October 2020. Johnson then formally became Campaign Manager for the Greitens for U.S. Senate campaign (2021–2022), as Greitens attempted a political comeback after his 2018 resignation.

Between his involvement in the Greitens orbit and the 2024 campaign, Johnson served as Executive Producer for Just The News, the conservative news outlet founded by journalist John Solomon. He then joined the Trump-Vance 2024 campaign as Deputy Director of Communications, and was appointed to the White House in January 2025.

By January 26, 2026, Johnson had been promoted out of his White House communications role and appointed Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs — the senior State Department communications and public diplomacy position — while also continuing to lead communications for the National Security Council.

Role and Communications Function {#role}

As White House Assistant Communications Director for Special Projects, Johnson was responsible for national security communications — a significant portfolio covering the administration’s public messaging on foreign policy, military actions, intelligence matters, and national security events. The State Department announcement of his promotion confirmed this function explicitly: he was “responsible for all national security communications” in his White House role.

The “Special Projects” designation in the White House Office of Communications typically covers sensitive or high-priority communications assignments that don’t fit neatly into routine press or rapid response operations. Johnson’s national security portfolio placed him at the intersection of the National Security Council and the Office of Communications — coordinating how classified and sensitive matters were communicated publicly.

His January 2026 promotion to Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs (A/S GPA) represents a significant elevation. The Bureau of Global Public Affairs oversees the State Department’s strategic communications, public messaging, and public diplomacy efforts globally. Johnson simultaneously retains responsibility for NSC communications — an unusual dual role that places him as a central node in the administration’s national security messaging infrastructure.

Messaging Strategy {#messaging-strategy}

Johnson’s communications approach, developed across campaign and government contexts, reflects the MAGA communications ecosystem’s characteristic rapid velocity, partisan framing, and selective information presentation. His work as Executive Producer for Just The News — an outlet that has faced criticism for promoting unverified claims and operating as a politically friendly outlet for conservative narratives — reflects alignment with the alternative conservative media strategy employed throughout the Trump orbit.

His national security communications portfolio means Johnson is responsible for shaping public understanding of some of the most consequential government decisions — military actions, sanctions, diplomatic agreements, and intelligence-related matters. The combination of this portfolio with his documented history of promoting false health misinformation (the Luján vaccine conspiracy) raises substantive concerns about the information standards applied to national security messaging.

Significant Public Statements {#statements}

On Greitens abuse allegations (March 2022): When Sheena Greitens filed a court affidavit accusing her then-ex-husband Eric Greitens of physical abuse and “unstable and coercive behavior” — including allegations that associates took steps to limit his access to firearms — Johnson, as campaign manager, responded in a written statement: “His ex-wife is engaged in a last-ditch attempt to vindictively destroy her ex-husband. Eric has always been a great Dad, who loves his boys and has always put them first, and that is why he is filing for full custody of his children.” Johnson called the allegations “completely false” and “politically-motivated.”

On COVID vaccine conspiracy theory (February 2022): Johnson wrote on Twitter: “BOMBSHELL: Dr. Robert Malone says New Mexico Senator Ben Ray Lujan’s recent stroke and brain surgery might be attributable to COVID-19 vaccine. Lujan was fully vaxxed & boosted.” This statement was false: there is no established medical evidence linking properly administered COVID-19 vaccines to strokes in the manner implied. Johnson was citing a February 2022 appearance by Dr. Robert Malone — a controversial anti-vaccine figure whose medical claims had been widely debunked — on Steve Bannon’s War Room podcast on Real America’s Voice.

Controversies {#controversies}

COVID vaccine conspiracy theory promotion (February 2022): Johnson’s February 2022 Twitter post falsely implying that Senator Ben Ray Luján’s stroke was potentially caused by COVID-19 vaccination was a documented promotion of health misinformation. The claim cited Dr. Robert Malone, who appeared on Steve Bannon’s “War Room” on Real America’s Voice. No credible medical organization has established a link between COVID-19 vaccines and strokes of the type Luján experienced, and the implied causation in Johnson’s post was unsupported by medical evidence. Heartland Signal reported the incident, noting it came from Greitens’ campaign manager.

Greitens campaign involvement: Johnson served as campaign manager for Eric Greitens’ 2022 Missouri Senate campaign. Greitens was one of the most controversial Republican political figures of the 2018-2022 period. He had resigned as Missouri governor in June 2018 amid:

• Sexual misconduct allegations (he later admitted to an extramarital affair but denied non-consensual acts)
• A criminal charge for alleged unlawful use of computer data (related to a charity donor list) — later dismissed
• A campaign finance investigation by the Missouri Ethics Commission (which found “probable cause” for violations while clearing Greitens individually)

In 2022, Greitens’ ex-wife Sheena filed a court affidavit alleging physical abuse and “unstable and coercive behavior,” including claims that associates had limited his access to firearms. Johnson publicly dismissed these allegations as false and politically motivated. Greitens ultimately lost the 2022 Republican primary.

Campaign Legal Center complaint and payment history: A Campaign Legal Center complaint filed against Greitens in October 2021 named Johnson explicitly, documenting that Greitens for Missouri had paid Johnson $54,747 in “campaign worker compensation” from March 2019 through October 2020 — payments made under circumstances the complaint characterized as inconsistent with legitimate campaign expenses and potentially related to improperly using gubernatorial campaign funds.

Just The News affiliation: Johnson’s role as Executive Producer at Just The News, the outlet founded by John Solomon — who was a central figure in distributing unverified claims about Ukrainian corruption that were used to justify Trump’s first impeachment — is relevant context for assessing his role as a government communications professional. Just The News has been criticized by fact-checkers for publishing misleading or unverified material.

Overall Veracity Track Record {#track-record}

Overall rating: Poor

Johnson’s documented record includes at least one clearly false public statement: his Twitter promotion of the COVID vaccine conspiracy theory implying a link to Senator Luján’s stroke. This claim was false and spread demonstrably misleading health information at a time when vaccine misinformation was actively endangering public health.

His role as spokesperson dismissing documented domestic abuse allegations as false and politically motivated — without independent knowledge of the underlying facts — is consistent with a campaign communications role but is relevant context for assessing his willingness to make strong public factual assertions on contested matters.

His elevation to Assistant Secretary of State for Global Public Affairs, responsible for U.S. government communications globally, gives his information standards broader public consequence.

Spokesperson Misinformation Assessment {#misinformation-assessment}

Designation: None

Advocacy vs. Misinformation determination: Johnson’s documented false statements — the February 2022 COVID-vaccine conspiracy post and his 2022 dismissal of the Greitens abuse allegations — predate his January 2025 government communications role and are categorically excluded by the tenure-window guard as pre-tenure campaign speech; his documented in-role, in-window statements carry no institutional fact-check ratings, so the profile does not establish a pattern of knowing misinformation in his official capacity.

Comparative Baseline: Insufficient in-window fact-check record versus the cross-administration press-secretary reference class.

Framework note: The Spokesperson Misinformation Assessment evaluates the transition from advocacy to knowing misinformation, not one-sided spin. Vigorous advocacy for an administration’s agenda is protected message discipline, not misinformation.

Framework disclosure: This assessment applies a published analytical framework to documented, in-role public statements by a public official, filtered to their tenure window. All factual predicates are cited to institutional fact-checkers. This assessment is subject to update as new evidence emerges or prior evidence is corrected.

Social Media Accounts {#social-media}

• X (Twitter): Personal handle not publicly confirmed in available sources. Johnson has been active on Twitter (the vaccine conspiracy tweet was on Twitter in February 2022) but his current handle is not identified in available public sources.

Key Source Links {#sources}

1. White House, “President Trump Announces Appointments to the White House Offices of Communications, Public Liaison, and Cabinet Affairs,” January 2025, https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/2025/01/president-trump-announces-appointments-to-the-white-house-offices-of-communications-public-liaison-and-cabinet-affairs/
2. Mirage News / Department of State, “State Appoints Dylan Johnson As Assistant Sec For GPA,” January 2026, https://www.miragenews.com/state-appoints-dylan-johnson-as-assistant-sec-1606278/
3. Heartland Signal, “Eric Greitens’ campaign manager pushes false anti-vax conspiracy regarding Sen. Ben Ray Luján’s stroke,” February 2022, https://heartlandsignal.com/2022/02/16/eric-greitens-campaign-manager-pushes-false-anti-vax-conspiracy-regarding-sen-ben-ray-lujans-stroke/
4. KSMU / AP (Brian Slodysko, Jim Salter, Summer Ballentine), “Ex-wife accuses top Missouri GOP Senate candidate of abuse,” March 2022, https://www.ksmu.org/news/2022-03-21/ex-wife-accuses-top-missouri-gop-senate-candidate-of-abuse
5. NBC DFW / AP, “Ex-Wife Accuses Top Missouri GOP Senate Candidate of Abuse,” March 2022, https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/ex-wife-accuses-top-missouri-gop-senate-candidate-of-abuse/2920883/
6. Campaign Legal Center, Complaint regarding Eric Greitens campaign finance violations (names Dylan Johnson), October 2021, https://campaignlegal.org/sites/default/files/2021-10/10-28-21%20Greitens%20%28signed%29.pdf
7. American Presidency Project, White House Press Release, Appointments to White House Offices of Communications, https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/documents/white-house-press-release-president-trump-announces-appointments-the-white-house-offices
8. Tribune and Times, “Harrisonville grad helps presidential messaging with White House job,” February 2025, https://tribuneandtimes.com/stories/harrisonville-grad-helps-presidential-messaging-with-white-house-job,42969

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