biggest MAGA accounts are based in Russia, Nigeria, India, Bangladesh and other non-Americas did Musk shut down the new location feature.Motivation: While foreign influence is a concern, many experts suggest the primary motivation for a large number of these accounts is financial, as X's ad revenue sharing program pays creators based on engagement, with divisive "rage bait" content often generating high interaction. Content and Reach: These accounts often posted about U.S. politics, immigration, and cultural issues to thousands or hundreds of thousands of followers, with some accounts even being amplified by Donald Trump himself on his Truth Social platform. Similar Activity: Reports have noted that foreign-based accounts also targeted left-leaning content, though the initial focus has been on the high volume of prominent MAGA-aligned accounts. Identified Locations: Specific countries repeatedly identified in reports include: Russia Nigeria India Bangladesh Eastern Europe (non-EU) Thailand Chile Moroccopopular social media accounts (primarily on X, formerly Twitter) that post pro-MAGA and "America First" content have been found to operate from outside the United States, including countries in Russia, Nigeria, India, and Bangladesh. These discoveries were largely made public after X rolled out a feature in November 2025 that displayed an account's country of origin. Specific examples of accounts identified as being based in the countries you mentioned, despite often presenting themselves as American patriots, include: IvankaNews_ (an Ivanka Trump fan account with around 1 million followers that posted about illegal immigration and support for Trump) was revealed to be operating out of Nigeria. Another account, _MagaScope (over 50,000 followers), was also linked to Nigeria. An "America First" account, @AmericaFirst0 (with over 67,000 followers), was found to be based in Bangladesh. The account @AmericanVoice, which posted anti-Islam content, was linked to India. Accounts linked to Russia and other parts of Eastern Europe were also identified, including @MAGANationX, which had nearly 400,000 followers and claimed to be a "Patriot Voice for We The People". Other non-Americas locations identified include Thailand, Morocco, Pakistan, and Chile.Russian oligarch Andrey Muraviev was indicted in 2022 for an illegal campaign contribution scheme where money was funneled through associates Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman to a Trump super PAC and other politicians to seek cannabis business licenses. In April 2024, reporting noted that a Texas-based firm donated to House Speaker Mike Johnson and that firm was 88% owned by three Russians. Russian Disinformation: Senator Johnson's investigation into Hunter Biden was criticized by Democrats and some former intelligence officials for using information that originated from individuals linked to Russian intelligence and disinformation efforts, even after an FBI briefing warning him of this possibility. Policy Positions: Johnson has faced scrutiny for a 2018 trip to Russia and for questioning U.S. sanctions against Russia, which critics claimed played into Russian interests, though he maintained he was consistent on being tough on targeted sanctions to oligarchs. Anyone who follows campaign finance knows that the FEC has been toothless for years due to GOP commissioners’ opposition to any enforcement of laws designed to oversee money in politics. But Weintraub and Broussard suggest the agency hit a new low by letting the US firm, American Ethane, off with a deal in which it agreed to pay only a small civil fine. Though based in Houston, Texas, and run by American CEO John Houghtaling, 88 percent of American Ethane was owned by three Russian nationals—Konstantin Nikolaev, Mikhail Yuriev, and Andrey Kunatbaev. The FEC report said that Nikolaev, an oligarch and Russian billionaire with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is the controlling shareholder. Separately, Nikolaev also underwrote efforts by Maria Butina, a Russian gun rights activist, to cultivate ties with National Rifle Association officials and with associates of Donald Trump around the time of the 2016 election. In 2018, Butina acknowledged acting as an unregistered Kremlin agent and pleaded guilty to participating in a conspiracy against the United States. She was sentenced to 18 months in prison but was deported six months later. According to lobbying disclosures, the company was seeking help from US officials in its efforts to sell US ethane to China. In 2018 it hired a US lobbying firm, Turnberry Solutions, with close ties to former Trump campaign chief Corey Lewandowski. A year later, Lewandowki officially joined Turnberry, after previously disputing his connections to the firm. Turnberry, which traded on ties to Trump, shut down in 2021, months after he left office. The FEC investigation began after it received a complaint citing press reports on American Ethane’s ties to Nikolaev and its donations to lawmakers. Weintraub and Broussard noted that the FEC found that American Ethane “made contributions using funds derived from loans from foreign entities ultimately owned by Russian nationals.” Federal law bans foreign funds in US elections, as well as direct corporate donations to candidates. American Ethane seems to have done both. The FEC found that the company made more than $66,000 in donations using money it got from offshore firms in the form of loans. According to an FEC general counsel’s report released last year, the owners of the offshore firms included Alexander Voloshin, a Russian politician and former state power company official, and Roman Abramovich, an infamous Russian oligarch and former owner of the British football powerhouse Chelsea. The money the company used to dole out donations ultimately came from the oligarchs, the FEC said Beloud