A new report from the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) has revealed that Russia and Iran are waging a coordinated disinformation campaign aimed at destabilizing the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement from within—by amplifying deceptive voices posing as MAGA loyalists and injecting divisive narratives into conservative spaces.
Titled “False Flags and Fake MAGA: How Foreign and Inauthentic Networks Use Fake Speech to Destabilize the Right from Within,” the report details how foreign adversaries are leveraging emotionally charged events to fracture support for President Donald Trump and the broader America First coalition.
These operations are timed to coincide with sensitive political developments, including high-stakes U.S. talks with both Russia and Iran on Ukraine and nuclear proliferation, respectively.
According to the NCRI, foreign-linked propagandists have used major incidents—such as the Uvalde school shooting, the October 7 Hamas terror attacks in Israel, and attempts on Trump’s life—as launchpads for what it calls a “false flag reflex.” This reflex, the report explains, is a conditioned online response that rapidly transforms breaking news into conspiracy theories, often with coordinated hashtags and viral disinformation.
The study highlights how Kremlin-backed accounts and Iranian state-linked media outlets inject misleading narratives that are then echoed by so-called “MAGA impostors”—influencers who appear to represent the Trump-aligned base but are in fact parroting foreign messaging. Notable figures named in the report include Nick Fuentes, Jake Shields, and Jackson Hinkle, all of whom have posted content echoing Russian or Iranian lines, often within minutes of unfolding news events.
During one such surge in activity, over 650,000 posts promoting “false flag” conspiracies reportedly drew nearly 4 million interactions across platforms, fueled by bot networks and fringe influencers. These accounts first gained traction by riding on MAGA branding, only to later turn against Trump following moments of political strain—such as the reported rift between Trump and Elon Musk.
The NCRI notes that the campaign shifted further during the escalation toward conflict with Iran. These networks began echoing Tehran’s claim that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was compromised by foreign powers, a narrative directly aligned with Iranian strategic messaging.
Crucially, the report warns that what appears on social media as grassroots discontent within the MAGA base may, in reality, be manufactured dissent driven by foreign psychological operations. “If you talk to Republicans right now, more than 80% of them support the war against Iran,” an NCRI analyst told The New York Post. “But if you go on Twitter, you get the sense that there’s a civil war raging.”
The institute’s analysis found two main clusters of amplifiers: foreign-linked actors and domestic influencers with MAGA-style branding, the combination of which lent legitimacy and viral reach to these divisive narratives. Despite originating from different sources, the timing, tone, and targets of these campaigns showed clear alignment—suggesting a coordinated attempt to fracture the American political right from the inside.
