Accounts supporting Donald Trump and the MAGA movement on Twitter, which had gained popularity, have been revealed to originate from Eastern Europe and other regions.
Following Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter in October 2022, allowing users to profit from viral posts, numerous engagement farming profiles flooded the platform. Speculation arose online as anonymous profiles sought virality through pro-Trump and MAGA content, hinting that the account operators were not US-based.
To earn money from their posts, users on the platform must actively monetize their content and have an XPremium subscription. This move, initially aimed at eradicating bots, seems to have incentivized accounts from outside the US to incite controversy or cater to specific groups for financial gain.
Several accounts, like one impersonating White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt’s husband, claimed US-based affiliations but were traced back to locations in Eastern Europe and other non-EU countries.
Accounts such as AmericanPatriot and Fan Trump Army, with substantial follower counts, were found to be based in countries like Chile and south Asia, respectively, despite claiming US origins. Even accounts using names and images of Trump family members were discovered to be operating from outside the US.
Twitter’s Head of Product, Nikita Bier, recently announced plans to introduce a feature revealing the country or region where an account is located, emphasizing the importance of ensuring the platform’s integrity. This move was well-received for enhancing transparency and informing users about the origins of the accounts they follow.
In addition to pro-Trump accounts, pro-Democrat accounts from Africa and pro-Israel profiles from countries like India were also identified as operating from abroad, indicating a broader trend of foreign-based influence on the platform.