A White House Staffer Appears to Run Massive Pro-Trump X Account

"To its audience, Johnny MAGA looked like an independent voice, another outraged supporter in the MAGA media ecosystem. The account regularly boosts Trump's Truth Social posts and goes to bat for the administration, attacking Democrats like California governor Gavin Newsom. But this isn't just a regular account. Johnny MAGA appears to actually be a White House staffer named Garrett Wade who works for the Trump administration as a rapid response manager."

"Hours after an ICE agent shot and killed Renee Good in Minneapolis, the Trump administration was already working to shape the narrative. Official White House accounts flooded social media with clips of burning flags and clashes between locals and federal immigration agents, casting protestors-not the killing-as the story."

"The operator of the Johnny MAGA account has not disclosed an official relationship with the White House while operating the Johnny MAGA X account. A phone number associated with Wade is linked to Johnny MAGA, according to a WIRED review of publicly available records, and the connection was confirmed by a source close to the White House."

Following an ICE agent's shooting of Renee Good in Minneapolis, the Trump administration rapidly deployed messaging on social media emphasizing protest violence rather than the killing. The anonymous account Johnny MAGA, with nearly 300,000 followers, amplified White House content attacking the credibility of those questioning the shooting. Investigation reveals Johnny MAGA appears to be operated by Garrett Wade, a White House rapid response manager, who uses the account to boost administration messaging while maintaining anonymity. Wade's phone number connects to the account, and a White House source confirmed the relationship. The account, created in 2021, has consistently promoted pro-Trump content since 2022 without disclosing its official White House affiliation.

Read at WIRED