Chinese Trolls Targeting U.S. Voters in Effort to Tank Trump

In a shocking revelation that should raise alarm bells for every American, it has come to light that internet trolls, allegedly backed by the Chinese Communist Party, are posing as U.S. citizens on social media platforms like TikTok. This insidious operation is targeting voters, especially supporters of Donald Trump, ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

One has to wonder about the true motives behind this blatant interference. When pretending to be Trump supporters, they’re obnoxious. When engaging with real Trump supporters, they’re threatening.

According to research reviewed by the Wall Street Journal, these Beijing-backed trolls are pushing divisive narratives on critical issues such as gun control, racial inequality, and the Israel-Hamas conflict. This is not just a casual online campaign; it’s a calculated effort to manipulate public opinion and sway the upcoming election in favor of their agenda.

Breitbart News has previously reported on TikTok’s troubling practices, revealing that the platform has sent sensitive user data about Americans—data that includes their opinions on gun control and abortion—straight to their Chinese overlords. The Department of Justice (DOJ) has now confirmed that TikTok employees communicate internally using a tool called Lark, claiming that “significant amounts of restricted US user data (including but not limited to personally identifiable information)” was shared on this platform. The DOJ further elaborates, stating, “This resulted in certain sensitive U.S. person data being contained in Lark channels and, therefore, stored on Chinese servers and accessible to ByteDance employees located in China.”

This raises a critical question: how can we trust a platform that so blatantly compromises American privacy and security? The Chinese propaganda machine is not just targeting former President Donald Trump; it has also set its sights on Vice President Kamala Harris and even President Joe Biden before he was ousted from his reelection campaign. The initiative is attributed to the notorious Chinese disinformation group, Spamouflage, as reported by the Associated Press.

Jack Stubbs, the chief intelligence officer at Graphika, stated, “One of the world’s largest covert online influence operations, an operation run by Chinese state-linked actors, has become more aggressive in its efforts to infiltrate and sway U.S. political conversations ahead of the election.” This is not just a minor issue; it’s a full-scale assault on our democratic processes.

The trolls are adopting fake identities to masquerade as U.S. voters, engaging in political debates online to control the narrative. One TikTok account, known as the “Harlan Report,” racked up an astonishing 1.5 million views on a single post. When pressed for their identity, the individual behind the account cryptically stated, “In your world, I am a clown. Sorry, You cannot know my identity, nobody ensure my safety.” This level of secrecy is deeply concerning and raises further questions about the integrity of the information being disseminated.

Following inquiries from the Wall Street Journal, TikTok took action and banned the Harlan Report account. However, a review of the account’s X profile revealed it had amassed 11,000 followers before being suspended from Elon Musk’s platform as well. The Harlan Report account posed as a 31-year-old conservative, complete with hashtags like #Patriotsunited, #MAGA, and Trump2024 in its bio.

Moreover, the Wall Street Journal uncovered that TikTok has been promoting “thousands of videos with political lies and hyperbole to its users.” One particular network of anti-Trump videos was traced back to a web of overseas accounts operating from China, Iran, and Vietnam.

While China, Russia, and Iran have denied any involvement in targeting U.S. voters through clandestine internet activities, it’s widely understood that foreign nations engage in online propaganda campaigns every election cycle. Earlier this summer, American spy agencies reported that Iran is actively seeking to influence the outcome of the U.S. presidential race to prevent a second Trump term.

As we approach the 2024 election, it’s imperative that we remain vigilant against these politically motivated ploys. The integrity of our democracy is at stake, and we must question the motives behind these foreign interventions. Will we allow our political discourse to be hijacked by foreign actors, or will we stand up for the truth? The choice is ours.