Many MAGA Accounts on X Aren’t Based in America
Computer monitors and a laptop display the X sign-in page in Belgrade, Serbia. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)
They go by names like @TRUMP_ARMY and @MAGANationX, with verified profiles featuring portraits of President Trump, rally photos, and American flags. Their feeds are filled with posts about U.S. politics, giving the impression that they’re dedicated American supporters of the president. But after a weekend update to the social media platform X, it has become clear that many of these accounts are actually based in regions including South Asia, Africa, and Eastern Europe.
Over the weekend, X introduced a new feature revealing the general location of an account. Almost immediately, researchers and online investigators discovered that numerous high-visibility profiles posting pro-MAGA content to large audiences were operating from outside the United States, raising fresh concerns about foreign influence on domestic political conversations, the AP reports. NewsGuard—an organization that tracks online misinformation—identified several widely followed accounts claiming to be run by Americans with an interest in politics, though they were actually located in Eastern Europe, Asia, or Africa. Some of these accounts had been major spreaders of misleading or polarizing claims, including allegations that Democrats bribed moderators of a 2024 presidential debate.
Nikita Bier, X’s head of product, announced that the platform’s new “About This Account” tool now allows users to view the country or region where an account is based by clicking the signup date on a profile. Bier called the feature “an important first step to securing the integrity of the global town square.” He said an updated version of the tool would be 99.99% accurate, though that figure could not be independently confirmed. Accounts may still mask their true location using VPNs, and some profiles carry warnings that the displayed region may be inaccurate due to proxies or certain internet providers.
Many of the accounts in question also posted support for slain conservative activist Charlie Kirk or for members of President Trump’s family. Several featured U.S. flags and language suggesting they were American. One example, @BarronTNews_, lists “Mar A Lago” on its profile, yet the new tool places it in “Eastern Europe (Non-EU).” NewsGuard also reported that misinformation is already spreading about the location feature itself, with some users wrongly claiming certain profiles are foreign-run when the evidence points to them being operated by Americans.
The motives behind these accounts aren’t always clear. While some could be tied to state-backed operations, many appear to be financially driven—posting political commentary, memes, or videos to generate engagement. Rolling Stone notes that X’s monetization program, which pays users for high-performing posts, may be incentivizing some foreign accounts to produce political content for profit rather than ideology, adding friction to an already polarized political environment. Alexios Mantzarlis, director of the Security, Trust, and Safety Initiative at Cornell Tech, told the AP that the tool’s impact may diminish quickly as bad actors adapt, noting that similar transparency features on other platforms have not eliminated misinformation.
Reaction among X users has been mixed. Some praised the added transparency, while others questioned whether the feature intrudes too much on personal privacy. “Isn’t this kind of an invasion of privacy?” one user asked. “No one needs to see this info.”
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