Israeli Influence Campaign in US Sparks Major Backlash in Trump Administration

An investigative report by Time magazine has revealed details of an expensive Israeli influence campaign in the United States that caused significant anger within the Trump administration. Israel hired Brad Parscale, Donald Trump's 2016 digital campaign manager, paying his company $1.5 million per month. Officially, the campaign aimed to combat online antisemitism, but its real goal was to influence conservative youth and MAGA supporters to bolster Israel's standing and later to shift conservative opinion against the temporary ceasefire agreement and understandings brokered by the Trump administration with Iran.

The campaign utilized targeted videos and content on YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and podcasts, alongside sophisticated attempts to influence how AI engines like ChatGPT present information about Israel and the war. Conservative influencers aligned with the right wing were recruited to echo messages attacking US policy toward Iran. The campaign was uncovered after a senior US official monitoring social media noticed many MAGA influencers posting nearly identical messages opposing the Iran deal and Trump's policy.

A review of US Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) documents exposed the payment chain from Israel to Parscale's company. The White House and Trump’s circle were furious over Israel’s blatant interference in US foreign policy messaging within Trump's political base. Vice President J.D. Vance sharply criticized the campaign, calling it a "perpetual war influence campaign."

In Israel, officials expressed deep disappointment with the campaign’s poor results. Despite hundreds of millions of shekels spent on campaigns, delegations, and PR, antisemitism in the US increased and relations with the American administration deteriorated. One insider said, "We were supposed to improve the situation, but we paid a lot of money and the situation only worsened."

Vance also alleged in a US podcast that Israeli actors run well-funded secret campaigns to sway American public opinion and sabotage negotiations with Iran, aiming to prolong the war indefinitely. He further claimed convicted criminal Jeffrey Epstein had "clear ties to the highest levels of Israeli intelligence." A former Israeli public diplomacy official called the campaign a major embarrassment, comparing it to the Pollard affair and warning it would fuel conspiracy theories and damage trust in Israel across US administrations.

Israeli diplomats told Ynet that some ambassadors only learned of influence campaigns in their countries after local contacts inquired about the activities. In some cases, Israeli-hired PR firms briefed journalists and decision-makers without informing or involving the Israeli diplomatic representatives. The Israeli Foreign Ministry stated that its public diplomacy efforts have provided Israel with unprecedented international operational space during the war and yielded significant strategic achievements among targeted audiences.