The Trump administration has enlisted the help of right-wing influencers to convince the public of the need to send National Guard troops into Democrat-led cities.
According to Oregon Public Broadcasting, figures like conservative podcaster Benny Johnson are being granted access to senior officials like Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem. In exchange, Johnson has presented a false image to his audience of the need for armed federal troops in cities like Portland.
Right-wing influencer Benny Johnson
Johnson is best known outside of conservative circles for repeated plagiarism at Buzzfeed and the National Review, which led to his dismissal from both outlets. Johnson has since been a regular source of right-wing misinformation and lies—dovetailing with the tactics of the Trump administration.
In one instance, Johnson and other influencers were allowed to travel with Noem to an ICE facility—an experience that Johnson hyped up by telling his audience it was “going to be a rowdy day.”
But Oregon Public Media reported that the day was “less than rowdy” and only “a handful of protesters” were present along with various reporters.
Influencer Nick Sortor has also joined the propaganda campaign, reportedly telling Noem that when the “sun goes down,” Portland “gets totally lawless.” This is the argument—based on lies—that the Trump administration and other right-wing media outlets like Fox News have tried to use to justify these unconstitutional military operations.
Meanwhile, the Trump administration has not granted the same level of access to legitimate news outlets in the state, like The Oregonian and Oregon Public Media, likely because they would report the truth instead of spoon-fed lies.
President Donald Trump and his underlings have desperately tried to depict Portland and other Democrat-led cities as war zones to justify these military takeovers. But this message has been severely undermined by video evidence of protesters dressed up like frogs, unicorns, peacocks, and other animals.
Cyclists participate in the Naked Bike Ride in protest against President Donald Trump's attempts to mobilize the National Guard on Oct. 12.
While Trump and his right-wing influencers push apocalyptic descriptions of blue cities gone haywire, what’s really occurring are events like nude bike rides highlighting Trump’s cruelty against Americans and immigrants.
Trump and his minions are losing the information battle, and they’re responding by promoting easily debunked conspiracies about paid protesters and “antifa frogs.” Their attempt to fill the media with false information is a testament to Republicans being on the losing side of the debate.
Meanwhile, high-profile Democratic leaders like President Barack Obama and Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker continue to call out Trump’s illegal and unconstitutional behavior.
No wonder Trump is hoping for his propaganda machine to save him once again.
