On Tuesday, President Donald Trump officially kicked off his 2020 reelection campaign with a rally in Orlando, Florida.
Join me LIVE tonight in Orlando, Florida at 8:00 P.M. Eastern as we kickoff #Trump2020. Enjoy!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 18, 2019
The 2020 effort is well underway online, as Twitter is getting flooded with what appear to be automatic tweets touting Trump’s accomplishments.
If you’ve been online in the past few days, you’ve probably seen this.
Why I’m voting for Donald Trump in 2020: – 4 million+ new jobs – 400 miles of Wall Built – 450,000 new manufactuing jobs – Biggest tax cuts in history – Median household income highest ever – 3.9 million Americans off food stamps It’s not about politics. It’s about results!
— Gary Ostlund (@OstlundGary) June 19, 2019
Why is @OstlandGary voting for Trump in 2020? Well, he says: “4 million+ new jobs – 400 miles of Wall Built – 450,000 new manufactuing [sic] jobs.”
Is anyone else online excited about “manufactuing jobs” and an inaccurate claim about miles of wall built?
Why I’m voting for Donald Trump in 2020:
— SusanFromNYC (@SusanFromNYC) June 19, 2019
– 4 million+ new jobs
– 400 miles of Wall Built
– 450,000 new manufactuing jobs
– Biggest tax cuts in history
– Median household income highest ever
– 3.9 million Americans off food stamps
It’s not about politics. It’s about results!
https://twitter.com/JayFesco/status/1141734317065940992
https://twitter.com/mckenzie_abs/status/1141417170531807232
https://twitter.com/mckenzie_abs/status/1141417170531807232
https://twitter.com/grenaways/status/1141183942361591808
Some declared Russia is behind a bot push, already waging a new information warfare campaign against the U.S.
Ah, how cute. Another bot. Can I play? https://t.co/rFgptWIfhU
— Kevin Lewis (@klewieblu) June 20, 2019
https://twitter.com/Shadoself/status/1141512119575371776
That’s a bunch of Bulls* it! Trump did none of that! Added to the National Debt by trillions,…. Your info. is bogus and so are you! Russian. blocked! https://t.co/9bR5rvRLIh
— Remington (@deerhyde) June 20, 2019
And while a bot check reveals that the accounts pushing these tweets are most likely automated, the explanation is likely far less sinister than that.
The original tweet comes from John Catsimatidis Jr.
https://twitter.com/johncatsjr/status/1141142973201227787
He is not a bot, but he has some interesting account features. An analysis of his account reveals unusually high levels of likes and retweets for his posts.
Given the amount of engagement he’s getting, it’s plausible that he is paying for likes and follows for his posts.
So while Russia may not be behind this, it goes to show how one person probably buying some account interaction can have a disproportionate effect on the national conversation.
Twitter told the Daily Dot that it is looking into the matter.
This story has been updated.
READ MORE:
- Trump: Russia helped get me elected
- Mueller calls for focus on Russian interference—so Twitter talks impeachment
- 5G fears reportedly being pushed by Russia TV network
- Report: 5,000 Twitter bots pushed ‘Russiagate hoax’ after Mueller report
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