Bulwark Takes

Turns Out America First Lives in... Bangladesh?!

Nov 28, 2025
Sam Stein chats with Will Sommer, a reporter known for his work on online influence operations and author of the False Flag newsletter. They dive into the chaos sparked by X/Twitter's new geolocation feature, unveiling that many MAGA accounts hailed from countries like Bangladesh and Serbia. This revelation fuels discussions on the toxicity of political discourse and the authenticity of right-wing factions. Sommer highlights how global culture wars transcend borders and critiques X's chaotic algorithm, calling for better transparency in foreign engagement.
Ask episode
AI Snips
Chapters
Transcript
Episode notes
INSIGHT

Geolocation Reveal Exposed Foreign Engagement Farms

  • Twitter added a visible country-of-origin feature to expose where accounts post from.
  • Will Sommer says the change revealed many engagement-driven accounts are based abroad and chasing payouts.
INSIGHT

Culture War Content Has Gone Global

  • Many MAGA and engagement-bait accounts were traced to countries like Bangladesh, Pakistan, Serbia, and India.
  • Will Sommer argues that American culture-war content has become a globalized commodity.
ANECDOTE

Named Accounts Turned Out To Be Abroad

  • Sam Stein and Will Sommer name specific accounts that appeared deceptively domestic but were abroad.
  • Examples include America_First being in Bangladesh and an Ivanka fan account in Nigeria.
Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode
Get the app