The faces of European influencers have been slapped on a slew of pro-Donald Trump social media accounts raising concerns that hostile state actors from countries such as Russia or China may be trying to sow disinformation ahead of the 2024 U.S. presidential election, a new investigative report by the Centre for Information Resilience (CIR) finds.
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“To be honest, ‘what the f—?’ was my reaction,” German fashion influencer Debbie Nederlof, 32, told CNN. "I have nothing to do with the United States. With Trump, the political things over there. What the hell do I – from a small place in Germany – care about US politics?”
Yet it’s Nederlof’s face that appeared on the X (formerly Twitter) profile of a “MAGA Trump supporter” from Wisconsin named Luna who has been praising Trump and slamming Harris to nearly 30,000 followers since March, according to the investigation.
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This is just one of 56 X profiles identified by CNN and CIR in which beautiful, young women appear to support Trump with manipulated imagery and hashtags such as #MAGAPatriots, #MAGA2024 and #IFBAP, which stands for “I Follow Back All Patriots.”
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Experts say this could be just the tip of the iceberg," the report states.
Benjamin Strick, CIR’s director of investigation, said he was alarmed by the content of the messaging appearing next to otherwise relatable content.
“By hijacking images of the influencers, these accounts clearly recognise the value of creating a believable human persona that followers can relate to," Strick said. “Some of these accounts are also posting disinformation and conspiracy theories – which in some cases are accruing thousands of views.”
Bots rule social media.
Everyone has been talking to bot and shill accounts.