Covert Chinese accounts are posing online as American supporters of former President Donald Trump, promoting conspiracy theories and attacking President Biden ahead of the November election. This marks a potential shift in Beijing’s tactics to influence American politics by targeting specific candidates and parties. Some of the fake accounts impersonate fervent Trump fans and spread false information about Biden, while also promoting Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.” This activity has been linked to a long-running network of accounts connected to the Chinese government known as Spamouflage that previously posted pro-Beijing content in Mandarin but have now resurfaced as Americans writing in English.
The Foundation for Defense of Democracies identified 170 inauthentic pages on Facebook pushing anti-American messages, including attacks on Mr. Biden. These efforts have successfully attracted genuine user engagement and are harder for researchers to detect compared to previous Chinese influence campaigns in the United States. The overall political tilt of the campaign remains unclear, but it raises concerns that China may prefer a second Trump presidency over a second Biden term. China’s activity has raised alarm within the American government, with fears that Beijing is attempting to sow doubts about U.S. leadership, undermine democracy, and extend its influence through sophisticated methods.
Chinese accounts posing as Trump-supporting Americans are raising concerns among online disinformation experts as the November election approaches. Russia is also using subtle influence tactics in the U.S. to spread its case for isolationism amid its war against Ukraine. Efforts to combat false narratives and conspiracy theories are becoming increasingly challenging due to relaxed moderation efforts by social media platforms, political pushback, and advanced artificial intelligence technology. China’s efforts to advance its ideology in the West have previously struggled to gain traction but are now focusing on exploiting the existing divisions in American politics on issues like gay rights, immigration, and crime.
These recent campaigns linked to China aim to exacerbate political divisions in the U.S. by joining debates from a right-wing perspective on various issues. Some accounts have shared debunked narratives about Mr. Biden and the Central Intelligence Agency, receiving attention from prominent figures like Alex Jones. These accounts attempt to appear authentic by describing themselves as American Trump supporters, but their profile photos and questionable behavior point to their ties to China. The accounts follow a strategy of posting pro-Trump and anti-Biden claims, including conspiracy theories and baseless election fraud accusations.
China’s influence campaigns have evolved from pushing propaganda about its culture and economy to fueling anti-American sentiment and undermining democracy. Recent efforts by Chinese-linked accounts focus on exploiting existing divisions in American politics and spreading misinformation from a right-wing perspective. The use of multiple platforms and organic following has made these accounts harder to detect compared to previous automated bot-driven campaigns. Despite efforts by social media platforms to remove inauthentic accounts linked to Spamouflage, China’s influence campaign continues undeterred, highlighting the ongoing challenges in combating foreign interference in American politics.
