The White House hired a former Disney Channel star because why not

No, it's neither Zack or Cody
 By 
Marcus Gilmer
 on 
The White House hired a former Disney Channel star because why not
From the Disney Channel to the White House, Caroline Sunshine's newest adventure will sure be interesting Credit: Getty Images

In case you were wondering about the kind of top-tier talent the Donald Trump White House is interested in bringing in to lead the country through a particularly tough time, don't worry because its latest hire is a... oh, uh... a former Disney Channel star.

Ok.

Breaking his Fox News precedent, Trump is bringing Caroline Sunshine on as a press assistant in the White House. Sunshine is best known to people under the age of 20 as European exchange student Tinka Hessenheffer on Disney's Zendaya-and-Bella-Thorne-starring series Shake It Up, which ran from 2010 to 2013.

Feel free to make all the jokes you need to about a star from a show called Shake It Up becoming part of a White House that is often loves shaking things up.

Go ahead, I'll wait.

So, yeah, it's a unique pick but quite out of left field as appears at first blush: Sunshine actually has a background in politics! It's a short background, yes, and mostly features the word "intern" but compared to some of the other hires Trump has made, her experience makes her a seasoned veteran.

Sunshine is something of a Young Republican stalwart, with a White House spokesperson bragging to CNN that she's interned for Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), as well as for the College Republican National Committee and the California Republican Party.

Capping it all off, she's a known entity to the White House where she recently interned.

Fans of the show and people like myself who have watched a handful of clips on YouTube in the last hour or so will notice that, in the Shake It Up universe, Tinka and her brother Gunther seem to be of a German background, though their country is apparently never named on the show and thus they're just vaguely European.

But she's probably not Russia, which is good for Trump!

Since the end of Shake It Up's run, Sunshine has cropped up in a few projects, including a small role in the intriguingly titled Lifetime movie Mommy I Didn't Do It, but she's mostly been focused on college and all that interning work.

And now she's off on a new adventure of several months in the White House before she takes her turn through the revolving door of people chased off by a tweet-happy, burn-it-all-down president.

Mashable Image
Marcus Gilmer

Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.

Mashable Potato

Recommended For You
Trump's new White House app is a security and privacy nightmare
President Donald Trump at the White House


White House adds AI-produced tears to image of arrested protestor
The arrest of Minnesota activist Nekima Levy Armstrong


White House uses 'Call of Duty' clips to brag about war in Iran
President Trump grimaces in front of a U.S. flag.

Trending on Mashable
NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 3, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

NYT Connections hints today: Clues, answers for April 4, 2026
Connections game on a smartphone

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 3, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone

Google launches Gemma 4, a new open-source model: How to try it
Google Gemma

Wordle today: Answer, hints for April 4, 2026
Wordle game on a smartphone
The biggest stories of the day delivered to your inbox.
These newsletters may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links. By clicking Subscribe, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
Thanks for signing up. See you at your inbox!