A Reuters examination details how rightist influencers and Trump officials have formed a powerful alliance, working together to target perceived adversaries, amplify false claims and reshape the media landscape. The shift comes as a growing number of social platforms and traditional outlets accommodate Trump.
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For decades, Republicans railed against what they saw as a liberal media establishment shaping American politics from the left.
Nearly a year into U.S. President Donald Trump’s second term, that narrative is flipping. A new constellation of influencers, billionaire moguls and social-media platforms – many embracing or amplifying White House themes – is pulling the nation’s information ecosystem to the right.
Right-wing influencers and conservative media personalities, often working in lockstep with Trump officials, have become a potent force in a widening campaign of retribution against perceived enemies of the Trump administration. Empowered by ownership and technology shifts in the media and bolstered by financial incentives, these figures help discredit Trump’s rivals and amplify his administration’s talking points and false claims, blurring boundaries between official messaging and private-sector news and opinion.
This account is based on a review of more than 300 hours of podcasts and TV shows, thousands of social media posts and interviews with 48 people – including influencers, elected officials, political strategists and media owners – and an examination of court filings.
As Trump deploys National Guard troops into U.S. cities, influencers embedded with figures such as Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have widely shared content echoing the administration’s portrayal of Democratic-led cities as engulfed in chaos, even as law enforcement data shows violent crime decliningin most urban areas. A spokesperson for Noem declined to address the discrepancy.
Inside the White House, the president invited right-wing media personalities to join senior officials in the State Dining Room, soliciting their input and criticizing traditional news outlets – all on live television.
Other episodes underscore this symbiotic relationship. In April, more than a dozen national security officials were dismissed amid an influencer-led campaign. In August, a Black Democratic lawmaker received a surge of racist threats after the Trump administration used an official government account to repost a false allegation made by another right-wing influencer.
“We’re seeing how the confluence of social media influencers is being amplified by forces in the government,” said University of Maryland professor Sarah Oates, who has studied Russian propaganda for 30 years. “There’s an argument to be made that they’re not influencers, they’re propagandists.”
Right-wing influencers and media outlets say they are ideological allies of Trump, not propagandists, sharing the belief that he is rescuing the country from decline. They and the administration accuse traditional media of covering him unfairly. “It’s a reaction to the nearly decade-long smear campaign of President Trump and his family and MAGA in this country by the mainstream media,” said Laura Loomer, who describes herself as both a Trump loyalist and an independent journalist.