A new investigation suggests that one of the largest pro-Trump meme accounts on X may not be some random keyboard warrior after all.
The account, known as “Johnny MAGA,” has nearly 300,000 followers and has spent years amplifying Trump-aligned messaging, attacking Democratic officials, and boosting White House narratives in real time. According to records reviewed by WIRED, the account appears to be run by Garrett Wade, a White House rapid response staffer whose job involves helping shape and distribute the administration’s official messaging.
Public records reportedly link a phone number associated with Wade to the anonymous account, and a source close to the White House confirmed the connection, though neither Wade nor the White House responded to requests for comment.
On its face, Johnny MAGA looks like any other hyper-online political account in the MAGA ecosystem. It reposts Trump’s Truth Social messages, defends administration policy, and pushes viral narratives that quickly spread across right-wing media. But if the reporting is accurate, the account may represent something more troubling than partisan enthusiasm: a government staffer running an anonymous influencer account that amplifies official messaging while appearing to be an independent citizen voice.
That distinction matters more than it might seem. When a government employee helps craft official talking points and then boosts those same points from an anonymous account, it creates the illusion of grassroots support. It also blurs the line between public relations and public discourse, making it difficult for audiences to distinguish between genuine political sentiment and coordinated messaging.
One example cited in the report came after an ICE agent shot and killed a woman in Minneapolis. While official White House accounts pushed footage of protests and flag burnings to shape the narrative, the Johnny MAGA account amplified that framing, posting that critics were falsely claiming ICE had shot an innocent civilian. To followers, it looked like organic online reaction. In reality, it may have been the administration echoing itself through an anonymous megaphone.
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The account has also boosted controversial content, including a racist AI-generated video involving Barack and Michelle Obama that it reportedly described as “a masterpiece” while defending the president’s role in sharing it. Over time, posts from Johnny MAGA have been cited by multiple media outlets as reflections of public sentiment, further muddying the waters if the operator is in fact connected to the White House.
Researchers who study disinformation say the larger issue is transparency. There are disclosure rules requiring influencers to reveal when they’re paid to promote commercial products. But there are no comparable federal rules requiring disclosure when political influencers have ties to campaigns, super PACs, or government offices. The Federal Election Commission declined in 2023 to mandate such transparency, leaving a gap that allows political messaging to move through influencer networks without clear disclosure.
The Trump political ecosystem has long relied on online creators and meme accounts to amplify its messaging, and several figures from that world have moved into official government roles. In some cases they disclose those connections. In others, the line between government staffer and influencer remains murky. If a White House employee is indeed running an anonymous account that presents itself as a regular supporter, that lack of disclosure could undermine public trust and further blur the boundary between state messaging and organic political speech.