Democracy Dies in Darkness

Man really did hack Trump’s Twitter account by guessing password, ‘maga2020!,’ Dutch prosecutors say

December 17, 2020 at 12:02 p.m. EST
President Trump’s Twitter account. (J. David Ake/AP)

Dutch hacker Victor Gevers claims to have logged in to President Trump’s Twitter account six years ago by guessing the password: “yourefired.”

Then he did it again. On Oct. 16, Gevers, 44, made an accurate guess, “maga2020!,” on his fifth try, according to Dutch prosecutors.

Hacking is a crime in the Netherlands. But on Wednesday, Dutch officials said they would not press charges because Gevers had met the bar for “responsible disclosure,” demonstrating how easy it could be to gain access to the U.S. president’s handle: @realdonaldtrump.