Elon Musk’s social media site X has rolled out a new feature in an effort to increase transparency—and unwittingly revealed that many of the site’s top MAGA influencers are actually foreign actors.
The new “About This Account” feature, which became available to X users on Friday, allows others to see where an account is based, when they joined the platform, how often they have changed their username, and how they downloaded the X app.
Upon rollout, rival factions began to inspect just where their online adversaries were really based on the combative social platform—with dozens of major MAGA and right-wing influencer accounts revealed to be originating from overseas.
“This is easily one of the greatest days on this platform,” wrote Democratic influencer Harry Sisson.
“Seeing all of these MAGA accounts get exposed as foreign actors trying to destroy the United States is a complete vindication of Democrats, like myself and many on here, who have been warning about this”.
Dozens of major accounts masquerading as “America First” or “MAGA” proponents have been identified as originating in places like Russia, India, and Nigeria.
In one example, the account MAGANationX—with its nearly 400,000 followers and a bio reading “Patriot Voice for We The People”—is actually based in Eastern Europe.
An Ivanka Trump fan account, IvankaNews, has 1 million followers and frequently posts about the dangers of Islam, the threat of illegal immigration and support for Trump. That account is based in Nigeria.
“This is total armageddon for the online right,” wrote law student and left-wing influencer Micah Erfan. “It’s looking like half of their large accounts were foreigners posing as Americans all along.”
While About This Account went live on Friday, X’s head of product development, Nikita Bier, noted that the change had “a few rough edges,” which they are planning to smooth.
Information around account location, for example, could be altered with the use of a VPN, something Bier has said the company is planning to resolve.
Users on X reported the tool being taken down just hours after it went live, with some speculating that the uncovering of the origins of far-right accounts may have something to do with its removal. However, it appears to now have been reinstated at the time of writing.
The use of imposter accounts on social media to manufacture support for an individual or an ideology has long been observed online in America and across the world.
“Just think about the foreign influence operations that are happening right now on this app,” journalist and MeidasTouch co-founder Brett Meiselas said in a video posted to social media about the changes.
“Think about the lawmakers who feel pressured by accounts like this. Think about the disinformation that spreads as a result of all these accounts out there.”
The use of fake accounts to bolster the MAGA movement is something The Centre for Information Resilience, an independent, nonprofit research organization, flagged during the 2024 election.
With many of the MAGA influencer accounts revealed to originate in Eastern Europe or Russia, users are questioning the ongoing interference in American politics by foreign adversaries.
“Why are so many MAGA influencers from outside the U.S.? It’s almost as if they are working for foreign governments,” wrote influencer Ed Krassenstein.
“You got a peek behind the curtain at just how much of the MAGA hatred is just Russian propaganda,” said author and academic Adam Cochran.
Donald Trump and several close associates were investigated for conspiracy or coordination between them and Russia during the 2016 election. Two of Trump’s campaign members were indicted.
Certain content creators are paid for tweets that drive engagement on the site formerly known as Twitter, which gives them a financial incentive to cash in on the divisive nature of U.S. politics.
For those in countries like Nigeria or Bangladesh, the American dollars paid by X for their work can be highly lucrative.
The Daily Beast has reached out to X for comment.
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