Inside a Conservative Operation to Hijack Your Social-Media Feed
A Latvian-based operation called Elephant Clipping is paying foreign subcontractors to create and distribute viral, AI-assisted social media content to promote Republican political values. This practice highlights the growing use of opaque, international digital marketing tactics to influence U.S. domestic politics.
Why it matters
The use of low-cost, foreign-based labor to generate political propaganda raises significant concerns regarding transparency and foreign influence in democratic elections.
Illustration by Paul Spella / The Atlantic. Sources: Getty; Shutterstock. Politics Inside a Conservative Operation to Hijack Your Social-Media Feed A service run from Latvia offers payment for short, social-media-friendly clips designed to look like grassroots GOP support.
Save I f you’re short on cash , there is someone in Riga, Latvia, who can help. “You can literally make 100k a month with this campaign,” a young man with blond curls and a thick accent says into a camera. All you have to do is post on social media video clips of “anything that supports Republican.” Unfamiliar with U.S. politics? No problem: “If you’re not from the USA, like, What the fuck is even Republicans? like me,” then simply go to Gemini or ChatGPT, he suggests, “and be like ‘Yo, Gemini, I want some videos promoting Republican values. Give me ideas.’ Go to Gemini. Get ideas. Boom.”
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