Busted: Fake MAGA bot accounts are now contradicting themselves over Trump and Epstein
A newly uncovered web of more than 400 AI‑powered X accounts has begun rapidly contradicting itself in response to the controversy surrounding convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein and the alleged cover‑up, despite its long‑standing promotion of MAGA figures, NBC News reported Sunday
Researchers from social analytics firm Alethea and Clemson University’s Media Forensics Hub uncovered the automated “positive reply” network, which was originally designed to shower praise on members of President Donald Trump's administration like Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt.
But in recent days, some of the bots have posted contradictory views about Attorney General Pam Bondi and others amid conservative backlash over withheld Epstein documents, according to the report.
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Until earlier this month, the network consistently echoed MAGA talking points — denouncing Democrats in 2024, celebrating Trump’s return to power afterward. In rare cases, they even expressed admiration for liberal figures like Rachel Maddow.
However, when Bondi announced she would not release additional Epstein materials, the bots abruptly fractured: some defended her, telling users she “ought not be judged harshly,” while others demanded her resignation — or that of figures like FBI Director Kash Patel and Dan Bongino — within the same minute, per the report.
When Bondi announced she wouldn’t release further Epstein-related documents, one of the automated accounts immediately chimed in, asserting she “comes out clean as the [Department of Justice] DOJ confirms no Epstein client list found, while reaffirming his death by suicide.” But the tone flipped fast. According to the report, the same bot has since been advising X users to launch a full-scale uprising against Trump’s team.
On Friday, it urged followers: “Retweet if you believe that Trump & his cronies are lying to the public and treating us like we’re stupid. We won’t be fooled by their games.”
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Although the precise inputs driving these accounts remain unknown, their behavior suggests they’ve been modeled after genuine MAGA social media profiles, C. Shawn Eib, Alethea’s head of investigations, told NBC.
“This split reaction mimics the organic reaction among supporters of Trump’s second administration,” Eib said.
He continued: “It’s possible that the behavior of these automated accounts is influenced by content posted from prominent influencers, and this shift is reflective of the general change in tenor among many of Trump’s supporters.”