Bulwark Takes – “Turns Out America First Lives in... Bangladesh?!” (Nov 28, 2025)

Episode Theme:

A humorous yet incisive dive into X’s (formerly Twitter) new geolocation disclosure feature, revealing a surprising number of popular “America First” and MAGA-aligned accounts posting from foreign countries. Host Sam Stein and guest Will Sommer (author of False Flag newsletter) dissect the implications for American political discourse, online engagement economics, and the ongoing infighting among right-wing internet factions.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. X’s New Geolocation Feature: What Happened?

• [00:50] Sam Stein introduces the topic: X (Twitter) now displays country of origin for accounts, leading to widespread revelations that many influential “American” accounts are run from outside the US.
• [01:40] Will Sommer explains the rationale:
  • Twitter pursued this to combat low-effort “engagement bait” accounts driven by engagement-based payouts.
  • These tactics are more lucrative for people in developing countries, incentivizing overseas activity.
  • “Accounts...posing as Americans to generate money and kind of dabbling in American politics...” were exposed.
  • Quote: “It went off like a bomb on the Right.” [02:45]

2. The Unveiling: Viral Mockery and Political Fallout

• [03:15] Overnight, users began surfacing evidence that beloved MAGA and America First accounts are foreign:
  • “America Patriot 24” revealed as Serbian.
  • Others (groypers, white nationalist accounts) from places like Bangladesh, Estonia, and Nigeria.
• Some features briefly disappeared before being permanently activated last weekend.
• Big Picture: The revelation prompted intense right-wing infighting and soul-searching about whether their own movements' strength online is real or “astroturfed.”

3. Notable Examples & The Surreal Marketplace of Influence

• [05:35] Sam Stein lists high-profile examples:
  • America_first0: Based in Bangladesh: “That’s just pretty misleading. If you’re going to be America First, you know, maybe be American.”
  • Ivanka Trump Fan Account: Based in Nigeria.
  • Doge Designer: A major engagement account, based in India.
• Engagement is high regardless of the real-world context. Sommer observes, “It also shows you how American politics and culture war has really infected the world.” [05:12]

4. Algorithm Feeds and Platform Atmosphere

• [06:46] Will Sommer: “The kind of deranged atmosphere on X” is partly explained by the prevalence of these foreign-run engagement accounts, making the platform feel especially chaotic.
• Sam and Will joke about the horrors and oddities that show up in algorithm feeds, with Will confessing a morbid fascination:
  • Sommer: “Oh, always. Of course. That’s how I get, like, just like, full face right into it.” [07:04]
  • Sam Stein: “I would love to live in your algorithm for like, half a day...” [07:08]

5. Right-Wing Reactions: Irony, Outrage, and Forgotten History

• The episode underscores the irony:
  • Accounts and commentators (like Matt Walsh, Joel Pollack, Dave Rubin) who once dismissed Democratic concerns about Russian bots in 2016 are now loudly alarmed about foreign actors meddling in conservative American discourse.
  • Quote: “Now…they’re having to sort of come around and be... hysterical themselves about foreign bot interference in conservative politics.” — Sam Stein [08:07]
• Some on the right now call for national security investigations into this new “threat.”
  • “We need a national security investigation...” — regarding foreign-run ‘America First’ accounts [09:09]

6. The Tenant Media Angle: Hypocrisy Exposed

• [09:55] Will Sommer tells the story of “Tenant Media,” a YouTube operation secretly funded by Russia Today, which employed now-outraged commentators who collected serious paydays for “propaganda” content.
  • Quote: “I think Tim Pool, in a year, made several million dollars. I think Dave Rubin was making at least 100 grand per like 10-minute video...” [10:19]
• The irony: yesterday’s foreign-financed commentators are today’s loudest foreign-bot alarmists.

7. Platform Moderation: Will X Clean House?

• Sam notes the oddity of Musk now embracing transparency after removing verification and letting anonymity reign.
• Will suggests possible next steps for X:
  • A flag icon for instant country-of-origin identification (“so you don’t have to click through”).
  • Deprioritizing or labeling accounts that are clearly foreign and running engagement scripts.
  • Quote: “Then you don’t have to kind of click through. And in general, I wouldn’t mind if there was some kind of deprioritizing of these...voices in your head when you’re on there enough...” [11:56]
• General agreement: this is a much-needed step to restore some authenticity and context to online discussions.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “It went off like a bomb on the Right.” — Will Sommer [02:45]
• “America Patriot 24 is actually from Serbia. And look at this. And this griper is from like, you know, Estonia.” — Sam Stein [03:15]
• “There was a nurse named Red Pill Nurse who’s always going on about how the 2020 election was stolen and she turned out to be Belgian.” — Will Sommer [05:12]
• “If you’re going to be America First, you know, maybe be American.” — Sam Stein [05:35]
• “In the irony that you noted...a lot of these people who complained about liberal hysteria over Russian election interference now are having to ... be hysterical themselves about foreign bot interference in conservative politics.” — Sam Stein [08:07]
• “We need a national security investigation...” — Quoting Joel Pollack at Breitbart [09:09]
• “Tenant Media was a YouTube channel...they were putting out this YouTube content that to my mind had no reason to exist… The FBI...found out that it was being funded by Russia Today...” — Will Sommer [09:55]
• “I would like to see a little flag icon right next to the name...” — Will Sommer [11:51]

Timestamps of Important Segments

• 00:50 – The X Geolocation Feature Drops
• 01:40 – The Reasoning and Economic Incentives
• 03:15 – The Weekend Mockery & Key Account Exposures
• 05:35 – Standout Foreign “MAGA” Accounts
• 06:46 – How the Foreign Accounts Distort Platform Culture
• 08:07 – Irony of Conservative Reaction vs. 2016
• 09:55 – Tenant Media, Russian Funding, and Hypocrisy
• 11:43 – Platform Policy, Future Steps, and User Experience

Tone and Conclusion

The episode takes on a sardonic, almost incredulous tone as Sam and Will swap examples and reflect on how American internet discourse is not only being shaped by, but commodified for, a global audience. There’s the sense that what masquerades as “grassroots” patriotism online is, in many literal senses, coming from continents away—and that those previously dismissive of foreign meddling now find themselves on the receiving end of their own arguments.

Closing exchange:

• Sam Stein: “I’m a little bit worried about your addictions.” (re: Will’s immersion in the X algorithm feed) [13:27]
• Encouragement to subscribe to Will’s False Flag newsletter—and a laugh at the ever-growing absurdity of the modern internet political ecosystem.

This episode is essential listening for anyone interested in:

• Social media manipulation
• Political astroturfing
• The globalization of American political culture
• The ironies and feedback loops in today’s online conservative movements