Israel’s $1.5 Million Monthly U.S. Influence Campaign Backfires Amid Rising Criticism

A recent investigation by Time magazine revealed that Israel paid approximately $1.5 million per month to Brad Parscale, who managed Donald Trump’s 2016 digital campaign, in an effort to influence American public opinion, particularly among young conservatives and MAGA supporters. The campaign involved influencer engagement, massive content creation, and attempts to shape how AI systems present information about Israel. However, instead of strengthening Israel’s standing in the U.S., the campaign reportedly worsened perceptions, with suspicions during the Trump administration that the effort aimed to influence debates over U.S. Iran policy. A senior Israeli official admitted, "We paid a lot of money, but the situation only deteriorated."

The controversy escalated when U.S. Vice President J.D. Vance publicly accused Israeli actors in a Joe Rogan podcast interview of running a "massively funded influence campaign" to sabotage U.S. efforts to reach agreements with Iran. Vance condemned the involved parties, stating his blunt reaction upon discovering influencers funded by Israeli sources working against his policies was "go to hell." This rare public accusation by a sitting U.S. vice president highlights the depth of the diplomatic rift caused by Israel’s influence operations.

Beyond the Parscale case, Israel’s broader international public diplomacy campaign has received unprecedented funding under Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, with over 2.5 billion shekels allocated since 2025 to combat a severe image crisis following the war. Yet, senior Foreign Ministry sources claim much of the money bypassed professional channels, with key budget management handled by ministry director Eden Bartal and external advisor Eran Shyovitz, often without adequate coordination with diplomats or embassies.

Criticism also targets the effectiveness of the campaign’s three main components: digital campaigns, delegations, and hiring PR firms abroad. Hundreds of guests brought to Israel had limited public influence or were already pro-Israel, described by officials as "preaching to the choir." Digital campaigns were reportedly managed without sufficient transparency or professional oversight, and PR firms sometimes operated without informing Israeli embassies. Despite these efforts, public opinion in the U.S. has shifted negatively. A recent AP-NORC poll found about one-third of Americans believe Israel committed genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, with half of Democrats holding this view. Support for Israel is declining, especially among young Americans and even within the American Jewish community, where 30% believe Israel committed genocide and most hold negative views of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The exposure of Israel’s covert influence efforts and Vice President Vance’s public denunciation raise serious questions about the wisdom of bypassing traditional diplomacy in favor of costly digital influence campaigns. A former senior Israeli public diplomacy official called the campaign a "terrible embarrassment," warning it could fuel conspiracy theories and damage trust in Israel among U.S. policymakers for years to come.

In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry denied all allegations, asserting that their public diplomacy efforts comply fully with U.S. law, are transparent, and focus solely on strengthening the strategic alliance and combating anti-Semitism. They emphasized that these efforts have yielded significant strategic achievements despite the challenging environment.