Popular right-wing X account is 'linked to this White House staff member'

An influential right-wing account X/Twitter has been linked to a Trump administration staff member, according to leading technology publication, Wired.

Recently, US president Donald Trump was once again at the centre of controversy after sharing a video that depicted former President and First Lady, Barack and Michelle Obama, as apes.

Many criticised the video as “racist”. But, among the vast criticism, a X/Twitter account going by the name “Johnny MAGA” instead called the shocking video “a masterpiece”.

Johnny MAGA is a pro-Trump meme page with over 283,000 followers (at the time of writing) that relentlessly amplifies Trump administration talking points and attacks Trump opponents and critics, such as California Governor Gavin Newsom.

Now, it seems that the voice behind it is not an independent one at all after a Wired investigation revealed that a phone number linked to the account is associated with White House staffer Garrett Wade. According to Wired, Wade is married to a White House press assistant named Allison Schuster.

“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, helping to run the very same White House account his anonymous MAGA account amplifies,” the publication explained, adding that it was also confirmed by a source.

Wired reports that the account was established in September 2021 and originally used an alternative handle that included Wade’s birth year.

Someone mocked: “It's a good thing these people are not super bright.”

Another said: “Taxpayer funded propaganda at its finest.”

indy100 has contacted the White House for comment.

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