sortor, nick accid cit jrnl
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WH ANTIFA BS
FEVER SWAMP INCUB TALARICO FLU 10 26
ECHO ESCA SWAMP INCUB
HIT MAN?
CRM
KASH KIRK
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did not see nick b/c arrested just bef he arrived
only fox tv?
USMC 2 TOURS 45% RULE TO SHOOT, PIZZA WOMAN SHAKING
INFLU INSTIGATORS then run to fox cam
MOLOTOV TENTS BURN NOT BY PROTESTORS
120 DAYS SOLD HOMES
ice enjoy cruelty, post vid soc med; riot staged 2 feds in plain clothes w/ cams? drones? push out 4 blocks 70- 80 guys 4-500 rounds pepper tear, flashbangs then live on X, trump says we send ca ng
15 agents manhandle daca w expired lic; woman w small kid walked when filmed
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AN 10 26
Former Fox News host Megyn Kelly is having a difficult time accepting that the conspiracy theories around James Talarico were false, and legitimate journalists can't stop mocking her.
After a week full of conspiracy theories, a right-wing personality posted an audio recording that he claimed was from a woman working for a mental health facility in Ohio that confirmed Talarico had been a patient there. The facility, Lindner Center of Hope, released a statement Sunday afternoon telling journalists that it would never reveal any patient's name because it would violate HIPAA.
By Sunday evening, the Center sent out a statement making it clear that Talarico was never a patient there. Talarico, for his part, reposted the statement saying that he'd never even been to Ohio.
Kelly couldn't understand.
"Could you pls clarify @LindnerCtrHope: 1. Has James Talarico been to your facility at all at any point in the last 9 days? 2. Was the facility operator who said he had been there mistaken? Will you allow her to speak publicly?" she asked on X.
The recording from political commentator Nick Sortor is authentic, but it didn't contain all of the information.
The Bulwark obtained the full six-minute recording, where the woman on the phone makes it clear that Talarico was never there. Sorto didn't put that in his audio edit, meaning he knew that Talarico wasn't at the facility, but broadcast the claim anyway.
"Sortor hadn’t actually made the call. That was Amacher, who had also cut his teeth filming the Portland ICE protests. Amacher had posted call logs that indicated his actual conversation with (allegedly) the person at Lindner lasted roughly six minutes. So, we asked him for the full recording (not the 45-second clip Sortor had posted). And, thankfully, he sent it along."
"It turns out, that the 45-second portion came at the very end of the actual call. What came before was a series of lies Amacher told to trick the apparent Lindner employee into handing over private information. It also included the employee’s repeated denials that anyone named 'James Talarico' was in her system at all," the report said.
Semafor editor-in-chief Ben Smith noted, "What a crazy information environment."
"No wonder she got fired from NBC. Totally conspiracy-pilled," commented political analyst and strategist Neera Tanden.
"What stage of grief is this?" asked ZenithPolls founding partner Adam Carlson.
"You’ve really lost the plot buddy," ex-Republican Sarah Longwell shot back at Kelly.
Huffington Post reporter SV Dáte commented to Kelly, "Trump acts like a complete lunatic every single day, if suddenly we’re that concerned with mental health."
NewsNation's Chris Cuomo got in on the mockery too, "Next target."
Patrick Pfingsten, who writes for The Illinoize and hosts in the afternoon on WMAY News, noted, "'Never' seems as if it would cover the last 9 days."
DCK 10 26
The Bulwark
MAGA's Talarico Mental Breakdown Conspiracy Implodes—Instantly
TodayBy Sunday afternoon, Nick Sortor, a right-wing influencer best known for his scuffles with antifa outside the Portland ICE facility, and Rhein Amacher, a previously little-known MAGA influencer, claimed they'd gotten proof: a Lindner employee had told them by phone that Talarico had been released that very night.
Yahoo
MAGA Sleuths' Talarico 'Bombshell' Blows Up in Their Faces
0:55
1 day agoSortor declared Talarico's explanation a "BIG FAT LIE." There was just one enormous problem. The purported evidence offered by Sortor and fellow right-wing personality Rhein Amacher contradicted ...
Author:@YahooNews
Daily Mail
Fury after viral video of James Talarico turned out to be manipulated ...
TodayThe caller was identified as pro-Trump activist Rhein Amacher. Amacher said he contacted the center, and in the 47-second excerpt initially posted by Sortor, a woman appears to say that someone named James Talarico had been discharged that evening.
RedState
Talarico Campaign Responds to Shocking Reporting in the Case of the ...
1 day agoIndependent journalists Nick Sortor and Rhein Amacher have released audio of a telephone conversation with someone identifying herself as an employee of the Lindner Center of Hope, a psychiatric treatment facility in Mason, Ohio.
PJ Media
Journalist Puts Talarico on the Clock, Threatens to Expose Where He ...
1 day agoNow Sortor and Rhein Amacher have put a clock on it. The pair publicly gave Talarico until 1 p.m. E.T. to explain his absence from the trail, and they say they'll release the details themselves if ...
PRIMETIMER
Ex-journalist accuses Elon Musk of deleting X account that said Nick ...
TodayOn Sunday, October 11, Nick Sortor disputed James Talarico's explanation for his absence from the campaign trail, claiming that he was admitted to the Lindner Center of Hope, a mental health facility in Ohio, during that time. Sortor also attached an audio recording of his and Rhein Amacher's ...
Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com › james-talarico-mental-health-accusations-assessed-12553845
James Talarico mental health accusations assessed - Newsweek
TodayOn Sunday, MAGA-supporting commentators Rhein Amacher and Nick Sortor shared posts claiming Talarico had received treatment at the Lindner Center of Hope in Ohio. By Sunday night, however, the ...
MSN
Benny Johnson, Nick Sortor face scrutiny for continuing to push ... - MSN
Benny Johnson and Nick Sortor face criticism for spreading unverified mental health claims about James Talarico's absence.
BNO News
Talarico campaign denies claim he was treated at mental health facility
1 day agoSortor said a hospital employee told him and commentator Rhein Amacher that Talarico had been a patient. The post included an audio recording of a woman purportedly working at the facility.
twitchy.com
'You Tell Them OR WE WILL': Nick Sortor Drops the Biggest TIK-TOK We've ...
1 day agoNick Sortor and Rhein Amacher just dropped a very public deadline on Texas Democratic Senate nominee James Talarico, essentially daring him to come clean about his recent absence from the campaign ...
x.com
https://x.com › RheinAmacher › status › 2108631633398284448
Rhein Amacher on X: "@nicksortor @realTJRoberts @ChrisWiest11 The show ...
3 days agoNick Sortor @nicksortor Oct 8 00:05 🚨 BREAKING: I will be LIVESTREAMING the execution of Fort Hood shooter Nidal Hasan right here on 𝕏 Pete Hegseth announced earlier today the execution would be "PUBLIC," and now we know the Pentagon will allow it to be broadcasted worldwide AN EXAMPLE WILL BE SET! 🔥 December Show more 678 2.1K 12K ...
RedState
Talarico Campaign Responds to Shocking Reporting in the Case of the ...
1 day agoIndependent journalists Nick Sortor and Rhein Amacher have released audio of a telephone conversation with someone identifying herself as an employee of the Lindner Center of Hope, a psychiatric treatment facility in Mason, Ohio.
Newsweek
https://www.newsweek.com › james-talarico-mental-health-accusations-assessed-12553845
James Talarico mental health accusations assessed - Newsweek
TodayOn Sunday, MAGA-supporting commentators Rhein Amacher and Nick Sortor shared posts claiming Talarico had received treatment at the Lindner Center of Hope in Ohio. By Sunday night, however, the ...
Rhein Amacher on X: "@nicksortor It's an animatronic model of ...
- Sep 14, 2026@nicksortor It's an animatronic model of @SenMcConnell. The lights are on, but nobody's home. Good Lord, this is pathetic.
- PJ Media
- https://pjmedia.com › matt-margolis › 2026 › 10 › 11 › journalist-puts-talarico-on-the-clockand-threatens-to-expose-where-he-really-was-n4958204
Journalist Puts Talarico on the Clock, Threatens to Expose Where He ...
- 1 day agoNow Sortor and Rhein Amacher have put a clock on it. The pair publicly gave Talarico until 1 p.m. E.T. to explain his absence from the trail, and they say they'll release the details themselves if ...
- Zerohedge
- https://www.zerohedge.com › political › james-talarico-disappeared-mental-health-facility-report
James Talarico 'Disappeared' To A Mental Health Facility: Report
- 1 day agoSortor and Rhein Amacher gave Talarico until 1 p.m. ET Sunday to explain where he had been. The Talarico campaign did not respond, and Sortor followed through with his promise, releasing audio suggesting that an Ohio mental health facility discharged Texas state Rep. James Talarico, the
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9 26 BULWARK SOMMER
PRO-TRUMP INTERNET PERSONALITY Matt Tardio has made a career out of slamming the left. He was front and center last October at the protests outside Portland’s ICE facility, criticizing the demonstrations as violent and lawless. But records show that while in the Pacific Northwest, Tardio ran seriously afoul of some laws as well. And when confronted, he blamed Antifa for getting him high.
Often appearing alongside MAGA activist Nick Sortor, whose arrest at the protests turned them into a national issue, Tardio—a former Green Beret—earned mentions in outlets like the New York Times and NPR, while streaming the clashes nightly to thousands of viewers.
The protests helped Tardio grow his online audience, which stands, nearly a year later, at 375,000 subscribers on YouTube and 113,700 followers on X.
Police and court records I obtained through open records requests show that on August 26, Tardio pleaded no contest in Portland to felony coercion and misdemeanor harassment charges. According to police and Tardio’s alleged victim, Tardio tried to take one of his fans at the protest back to his hotel room to have sex. When she refused, he allegedly became forceful, grabbing the woman and even carrying her down an alley before she managed to escape—a crime caught in full detail, ironically, by surveillance cameras at the ICE facility.
When interviewed by a Portland detective, Tardio had an explanation: Left-wing “antifa” activists had plotted to get him stoned by...$
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The Truth Behind "War Ravaged Portland" | Jerrod Zisser | TMR
The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder
1.98M subscribers
Dec 31, 2025 The Majority Report w/ Sam Seder
Check out Jerrod Zisser on @theringoffire3228 Watch the Majority Report live Monday–Friday at 12pm EST on YouTube OR via daily podcast at http://www.Majority.fm Send us IM messages during the live-stream with our free Majority Report App: http://majority.fm/app Subscribe to MR's daily AM Quickie newsletter: https://am-quickie.ghost.io
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5 25 26
INFLUENCER --> CHARGED/INVESTIGATED FOR STAYING IN FORBID HOTEL BUT NICK S ACTUALLY DID; FOOD AND MED SUPPLIES.
I WAS ALMOST KIDNAPPED BS
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tpusa
GOATEE GUY CALLED JACK IN TRANSCRIPT 55 MIN? gai PETER SCWHEITZER
Here's a full list of conservative influencers present at the roundtable: Nick Sortor, Cam Higby, Jonathan Choe, Andy Ngo, Katie Daviscourt, James Klug, Savanah Hernandez, Nick Shirley, Brandi Kruse and Julio Rojas.
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GAI’s Seamus Bruner Reveals Left-Wing Funders Such as Roy Singham Behind Antifa Riots
PIX PEACE SIGN Elizabeth Weibel9 Oct 2025
Seamus Bruner, the Director of Research at the Government Accountability Institute (GAI) revealed that left-wing funders such as billionaire Neville Roy Singham were behind left-wing Antifa riots and protests.
During a roundtable event on Antifa with President Donald Trump, Bruner explained that he, GAI President Peter Schweizer, and their team “followed” a trail of money and “followed it to the top of what” they called the Protest Industrial Complex, or Riot Inc. Bruner explained that the so-called “Riot Inc.” was made up of many different divisions, and that “dozens of radical organizations” have received millions of dollars from Riot Inc.
“We found a network of NGOs, it’s not just the Soros network, the Open Society Network. It’s other funding networks, the Arabella Funding Network, the Tides Funding Network, Neville Roy Singham and his network, foreign cash,” Bruner explained. “And, it’s also big left-wing funders — some of them are not citizens of this country.”
Bruner continued to note that these left-wing funders were “pouring money into this entire ecosystem.”
Bruner continued to share “three money facts” about Riot Inc., explaining that there were “many divisions” such as “PR divisions, marketing divisions” and even a “well-funded legal division.”
“Number two, we have identified dozens of radical organizations, not just the decentralized Antifa organizations, but dozens of radical organizations that have received more than one hundred million dollars from the Riot Inc. investors,” Bruner added. “These would be the lawyer groups, these would be the groups that advocate for calling good, honest Americans fascists.”
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“And then, three, I think the most shocking thing is that we have found that more than one hundred million dollars in U.S. taxpayer funding has flowed into these funding networks, including at least four million dollars to these very groups themselves,” Bruner added.
Bruner’s mention of Singham comes after an investigation by the Breitbart News Foundation reported that while “records from the United Kingdom confirm” that Singham resigned from Thoughtworks, Inc., which he founded in 1993, “Chinese government records suggest otherwise.”
After founding Thoughtworks, Inc. in 1993 and building the company into a software consulting powerhouse, Singham helped orchestrate its sale in October 2017, for approximately $785 million to a group of funds managed by London-based private equity firm Apax Partners. Corporate records from the United Kingdom confirm Singham’s resignation from Thoughtworks the same month, and his own LinkedIn profile says he has been retired since 2017. Thoughtworks’ English-language website relegates him to its “alumni” section, reinforcing the image of a clean break.
But Chinese government records suggest otherwise. These records list Singham as a corporate officer of Thoughtworks’ Chinese subsidiary, Thoughtworks Beijing, as recently as June 17, 2025, and for at least as far back as 2022. These records are from the National Enterprise Credit Reporting System (NECIPS), China’s corporate registry. Other documents, including trade show profile and “help-wanted” ads, listed Singham as Thoughtworks Beijing’s official contact in 2021.
The New York Post reported in June that Singham was set to be called to testify before a congressional committee regarding him funding “radical anti-Israel and Marxist groups” behind the Los Angeles riots.
In an article written by Bruner in June, Bruner detailed how the GAI had uncovered how the “official partners” behind the “No Kings” protests “bagged $114.8 million since 2019 from the Arabella Avisors dark money network an how professional protest organizations use tax dollars as a force multiplier.”
Bruner reported:
The expected worldwide mobilization of protests against President Donald Trump this weekend will hardly be a spontaneous eruption. On the contrary, the tumult is a carefully plotted production organized by The Indivisible Project and financed by the progress dark money network managed/advised by Arabella Advisors, which has perfected the mounting of made-to-order protests. Since 2019, the Arabella network has dumped more than $100 million into the coffers of the official “No Kings” protest partners—including the creator of the official protest song book.
This “grassroots” “nationwide days of defiance” targets Trump and his “billionaire allies,” according to organizers. The Arabella network’s biggest benefactors are the left’s own billionaire heroes, including George Soros, Bill Gates, Hansjorg Wyss, Mark Zuckerberg, and Reid Hoffman.
During the roundtable event, Bruner vowed to “keep following the money,” and expressed that he appreciated “everything” Trump was doing.
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MMA
Fox News platformed several of the participants of a White House roundtable on antifa in the weeks leading up to the event
In the weeks preceding the event, Portland footage captured by roundtable participants was featured on Fox's evening programming at least 31 times and the network interviewed them at least 12 times
Written by Jack Winstanley
Research contributions from Rob Savillo, Harrison Ray & Tyler Monroe
Published 10/24/25
New Media Matters data finds that in the roughly two weeks leading up to a White House roundtable discussion of antifa, Fox News interviewed and repeatedly ran b-roll footage of Portland anti-ICE protests captured by several of the right-wing influencers who attended the roundtable. This data underscores right-wing media’s ongoing campaign to cast the protests as violent while the Trump administration simultaneously takes actions against antifa and other protesters.
On October 8, the White House hosted a roundtable discussion focused on supposed threats posed by antifa, complete with testimony from a dozen right-wing media figures and online commentators who shared tales about the violence supposedly emerging from the left. Central to many of their talking points were the ongoing anti-ICE protests in Portland, Oregon, where the Trump administration has attempted to deploy 200 National Guard troops. The roundtable followed President Donald Trump’s issuance of an executive order designating antifa a “domestic terrorist organization” on September 22.
Right-wing media have repeatedly characterized the anti-ICE protests in Portland as violent. Several right-wing media figures and influencers have even gone to Portland, including some accompanying Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as part of what Oregon Public Broadcasting described as the “deepening alliance between the administration and an online world willing to misrepresent facts if it means furthering political goals.”
The White House roundtable was populated with a dozen right-wing media figures and influencers
The White House welcomed 12 right-wing media figures and online influencers for the October 8 roundtable, which also included Trump, Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi, FBI Director Kash Patel, and other high-level administration officials.
Many of these influencers have been in Portland during anti-ICE protests, with some covering the protests for right-wing media outlets or online shows. As reported by The Guardian, influencer Nick Sortor, who was among the roundtable attendees, “has been involved in multiple physical altercations with protesters in Portland this month, some of which he clearly initiated.”
The roundtable included:
Jack Posobiec, host of Real America’s Voice’s Human Events Dailyand senior editor of Human Events.
Andy Ngo, editor-at-large for right-wing online outlet The Post Millennial.
Katie Daviscourt, a correspondent for The Post Millennial.
Nick Sortor, a conservative influencer.
Julio Rosas, a correspondent for Blaze Media.
Savanah Hernandez, a former Infowars host and current Turning Point USA contributor.
Cam Higby, a personality for Today is America who has also contributed to Turning Point USA’s Frontlines.
Nick Shirley, a YouTuber.
Jonathan Choe, a senior fellow at the Discovery Institute who has also reported for Turning Point USA's Frontlines.
James Klug, a YouTuber.
Brandi Kruse, a conservative podcaster.
Seamus Bruner, the director of research at the Government Accountability Institute.
At least three of the outlets represented at the roundtable — Human Events, The Post Millennial, and Frontlines TPUSA — have since announced that they have joined the Department of Defense’s press corps after Pentagon reporters refused to agree to restrictive press policies.
## Fox used roundtable participants’ footage of Portland for b-roll in dozens of segments during the roughly two weeks before the roundtable
Media Matters observed at least 31 segments about anti-ICE protests in Portland, Oregon, that aired during Fox News’ evening programming between September 22 (when Trump issued an executive order designating antifa as a “domestic terrorist organization”) and October 7 (the day before the roundtable) and featured b-roll from at least one of the roundtable participants.
Footage captured by The Post Millennial’s Katie Daviscourt appeared in 87% of the segments that featured b-roll from roundtable participants — 27 of 31 total segments — and footage attributed to Turning Point USA’s online show Frontlines appeared in nearly a third of qualifying segments.
Nick Shirley, a YouTuber who was present at the Portland protests, had b-roll footage appear in 2 segments. Footage from Brandi Kruse, who filmed a video documenting the two days she spent in Portland, appeared in 1 segment.
Citation
From the October 2, 2025, edition of Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime
Citation
From the September 29, 2025, edition of Fox News' The Five
Citation
From the October 2, 2025, edition of Fox News' Hannity
Citation
From the September 30, 2025, edition of Fox News' Jesse Watters Primetime
## Roundtable participants have repeatedly appeared on Fox News, with several appearing on the network during the roughly two weeks ahead of the roundtable
Seven of the roundtable participants (Posobiec, Ngo, Sortor, Shirley, Choe, Daviscourt, and Klug) appeared on Fox News’ weekday programming in the weeks leading up to the roundtable for a collective total of 12 interviews between September 22 and October 7.
Several of these interviews focused on the Portland protests, with some roundtable participants characterizing the protests as violent and at least one participant calling for a more intense crackdown on protests from the Trump administration.
During a Fox interview on October 2, Shirley claimed there had been “lots of violence” at the protests and that he had been threatened with a gun. In a September 29 Fox News appearance, Choe claimed the protests were “causing chaos” for Portland. On October 6, Sortor argued on Hannity that the protests were “so hostile,” and “very, very aggressive.”
Video file
Video
Citation
From the September 29, 2025, edition of Fox News' The Ingraham Angle
Appearing on Jesse Watters Primetime, Daviscourt declared, “It’s time for a federal crackdown,” adding, “The Trump administration needs to start treating antifa like ISIS, the terrorists that they are.”
And the roundtable participants aren't new on Fox. In fact, Media Matters found that all of the individuals who participated in the roundtable had appeared on Fox News prior to the study period as well, for a total of at least 177 appearances combined since August 2017.
## Methodology
....
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BTB 10 25
GIRL IN BIRD SUIT STICK?
VID GIRL PEEPER SPRAY FACE, FROG INFLAT VALVE
113 views Oct 6, 2025
More details are emerging about protests last week outside the ICE facility that resulted in the arrests of conservative influencer Nick Sortor and two others. According to probable cause documents filed in the case of Angela Davis, police relied in part on information from confidential reliable sources embedded in the crowd or CRS. According to one CRS, they witnessed a white man in his thirties walking down the middle of the street on South Moody Avenue holding a cell phone with a bright light shined in peoples faces.The CRS said the man, later identified as Nick Sortor, was attempting to elicit a negative response from people.According to court documents, as Sortor was attempting to film more people, a person dressed in black jumped between Sortor and the group which caused yelling, pushing, and shoving. At some point, Son Mi Yi was holding an umbrella with the letters "ACAB" on it, and was shoving the umbrella in Sortor's face, and in front of his camera.
AI Overview GGL
The "SORTOR BIRD SUIT" refers to a woman who wore a bird-like outfit and chased conservative influencer Nick Sortor during a protest outside an ICE facility in Portland, Oregon
. The event occurred in early October 2025, and both individuals were arrested.
Details of the incident:
According to court documents, after an initial scuffle, Nick Sortor was chased by a woman wearing a feathered, bird-like costume.
The woman, identified as Davis, was swinging a large feathered stick and is alleged to have chased Sortor after he had a confrontation with another protester.
Sortor reportedly fell in the street while being pursued.
Both Sortor and Davis were arrested for second-degree disorderly conduct.
Prosecutors later dropped the charge against Sortor due to insufficient evidence. The status of Davis's charge is not explicitly stated in the provided snippets.
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choe
1:41
Now playing
INDEPENDENT JOURNALIST NICK SORTOR ASSAULTED BY ANTIFA IN PORTLAND
789 views
5 days ago
786 views Oct 6, 2025
NEW: Independent journalist Nick Sortor was assaulted by Antifa militants Sunday night and nearly had his American flag stolen. I was next to Sortor as he tried to walk through a tent encampment used by far-left activists targeting the Portland ICE building. Btw, the tent is on a public sidewalk and used by Antifa to refuel and sleep overnight.
HE SHOVES HIS WAY UNDER AN AWNING VS MUCH SHORTER GUY, HAS FLAG, SAYS ASSAULTED WHEN NO ONE TOUCHED HIM? W BEEFY CAM GUY; ON WAY OUT GETS SHOVED AND ISLAM GUY HOLDS HIM UP? GETS OUT, MAG hat in street, cops have someone on gd? has burned flag but we do not see it burn? short time?
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Right-wing influencers shape nation and Trump’s understanding of Portland protests
By Erik Neumann (OPB)
:{:{Oct. 11, 2025}:
Social media personalities, conservative media outlets and the Trump administration itself are blending online content to serve the administration’s policies.
Trump supporters face off with protesters outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., Monday, Oct. 6, 2025.
Benny Johnson, a pro-Trump social media personality from Florida, announced to his followers on X that he had arrived.
“Yo, what’s up!” Johnson said Tuesday as he strolled into the airport. “We are on the ground in Portland, Oregon.”
Johnson was in town to meet with three other social media influencers and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem to tour the city’s U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, where protests had been taking place since June.
“The Trump administration is here today. Follow along. The Trump administration ain’t gonna have any of this,” Johnson said. “This is going to be a rowdy day.”
From there, the influencers packed into SUVs and followed Noem, passing through police lines that had been established around the ICE facility and eventually behind its gates.
Standing on the building’s rooftop, Johnson and the other influencers filmed Noem for their millions of followers online. But the day was less than rowdy.
On the street below, around 20 reporters from local and national outlets stood behind yellow caution tape, along with a handful of protesters. It was a sunny fall day in Portland, far from the burning hellscape portrayed online.
Still, influencer Nick Sortor warned Noem that she wasn’t seeing the real story.
“This is absolutely nothing as to what it is at night though. It’s really bad at night,” Sortor said. “That sun goes down and it gets totally lawless.”
Social media personalities like those who joined Noem are increasingly shaping the public’s understanding of events in Portland, where the Trump administration has been trying to deploy the National Guard in recent weeks.
While partisan online posting about protests in the Northwest is nothing new, right-wing media influencers are now being welcomed into the federal government to promote its messages. This kind of media access shows a deepening alliance between the administration and an online world willing to misrepresent facts if it means furthering political goals.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stands on the roof of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement building in South Portland on Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025.
*Eli Imadali / OPB
The influencers’ personal content is blended with interviews on Fox News, Newsmax and other outlets, and reposted by federal agencies at times. Sortor and another media personality on the ICE tour, Katie Daviscourt, appeared on a panel at the White House on Wednesday with President Trump, where clips were similarly repurposed and spun out to broader conservative media.
Local media like OPB and The Oregonian/OregonLive have not been given the same access to the ICE building when they requested it. In response to requests to tour the ICE building, DHS officials have asked OPB – a century-old media organization that has covered newsworthy events at the protests since their earliest days - to share links to OPB coverage of the protests before considering access.
‘Counter-protesters themselves’
The current Trump administration is working with these influencers to justify the president’s actions, according to A.J. Bauer, an assistant professor who studies media activism in the University of Alabama’s journalism department.
“The streamers are actually counter-protesters themselves who are going and documenting the protests that they disagree with. The government is actually working hand-in-glove with those folks in order to promote the government’s message,” Bauer said. “That is a new development.”
Masked-up federal agents confront the protesters outside the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., on Sept. 28, 2025.
*Kristyna Wentz-Graff / OPB
There are many examples over the years of mainstream journalists embedding with the government to cover major events, like during the Vietnam or Iraq wars. But those reporters were largely free to be critical of the government.
Bauer said right-wing influencers don’t follow the journalistic norms of balance, independence and not personally participating in stories. Instead, he said, they start out with an ideological vision of the world and then narrate what they see in a way that fits that vision.
“The consequences are that we have two competing visions of reality,” Bauer said.
There have been almost nightly protests outside of Portland’s ICE facility for months. Since June, the Portland Police Bureau has made at least 47 arrests, and federal officials have arrested dozens more, though not everyone has been charged with a crime.
Still, the protests span just one or two city blocks. Many nights, there are fewer than two dozen people. Dancing and whimsical costumes have been a frequent protest tactic since the Trump administration has expressed a desire to send in military troops to suppress the demonstrations.
Protesters recover after gas is deployed at the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, Portland, Ore., Oct. 4, 2025.
*Alejandro Figueroa / OPB
But these influencers tell a story that chaos is rampant. And now, they are having the biggest impact possible by shaping how President Trump views the protests. They repeated a vision of Portland to him at a White House roundtable on Wednesday that many residents wouldn’t recognize.
“The amazing thing is you look at Portland and you see fires all over the place. You see fights. I mean, violence, it’s so crazy,” Trump said during the televised round table. “And then you talk to the governor and she acts like everything is totally normal. It’s almost like, are you waking up from a dream or something?”
A history of clashes
Right wing presence at protests in Portland is not a new phenomenon.
During the president’s first term, counter-protesters were a regular presence in the Rose City when residents and left-aligned demonstrators took to the streets. Provocateurs like Joey Gibson would frequently show up at protests between 2015 and 2020 to film and engage in conflicts with what they described as antifa mobs.
At times, those provocations turned violent, with people being shoved, maimed and even killed as dueling political factions took to the streets.
Patriot Prayer leader Joey Gibson directs people back to the west side of the Willamette River during demonstrations in Portland, Ore., Saturday, Aug. 17, 2019.
*Bradley W. Parks / OPB
Those protests also launched the careers of streamers and media personalities who focused on the conflict with a particular political view, such as Andy Ngo, a former Portland resident who now edits for the Canadian conservative outlet the Post Millennial.
With around 1.7 million X followers, Ngo is an influential voice on the right who appeared at Wednesday’s roundtable with President Trump. He also helped pave the way for the people aligning with the Trump administration against the current Portland protests. That includes Daviscourt, who brands herself on X as an investigative reporter for the Post Millennial.
While activists like Gibson have appeared at the protests outside the ICE building in recent days, the content being produced by the streamers is not restrained to their own feeds and fans, as it largely was during the first Trump administration.
On Thursday, Ngo made a post to his X account warning of an impending attack on federal law enforcement.
“Antifa in Portland have been plastering flyers around the city urging people to try and crash the DHS helicopter flying over ICE,” Ngo wrote just before 9 p.m., sharing an image of a flyer with lasers pointing at a helicopter.
Around three hours later, DHS posted a similar version of the flyer to its X account.
“Antifa domestic terrorists WILL NOT overrun our cities,” the post stated.
Facts on the ground
Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, Portland Mayor Keith Wilson and most other state officials have rejected the need for the Trump administration to send the National Guard to the city. But their views seem to have little influence on the White House’s stated plans and rhetoric.
Portland Mayor Keith Wilson speaks with Beaverton Mayor Lacey Beaty at a press conference Monday, Sept. 29 in Portland Ore. Wilson and 10 Oregon mayors spoke against President Trump's decision to deploy the National Guard in Portland.
*Saskia Hatvany / OPB
On a recent night outside the ICE facility, conservative podcaster Matt Tardio was live-streaming the Portland protests. Tardio said he’s trying to capture everything that’s going on, not just the clashes between protesters and police.
“I do know that I’ve caught some coming-up streamers or whatever they were, legitimately trying to start problems and having hidden cameramen off to the side trying to capture those problems starting so that they could have their viral clips,” Tardio said. “That’s messed up.”
Tardio, who is a veteran, agrees that the situation on the ground is being exaggerated online.
“I can’t tell you the amount of times I’ve said I don’t think the National Guard needs to come out here. I feel that the Portland Police Bureau can handle it,” he said.
But that hasn’t stopped other influencers from repeating the story about a war-ravaged city that gets amplified by Trump officials and repackaged across the media ecosystem.
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Trump's Meeting With Far-Right Agitators & Social Media ...}:
Medium · Missfredawallace
4 hours ago](https://medium.com/@missfredawallace/trumps-meeting-with-far-right-agitators-social-media-hacks-5b5e2987f833)
At the roundtable, Trump accused Antifa — short for 'Anti-Fascist ... James Klug, Savanah Hernandez, Nick Shirley, Brandi Kruse, and Julio ...
Trump’s Meeting With Far-Right Agitators & Social Media Hacks.
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On the 9th Oct, President Donald Trump hosted administration officials and conservative influencers for a roundtable, highlighting the efforts to crack down on left-wing groups, specifically the anti-fascist movement known as Antifa.
At the roundtable, Trump accused Antifa — short for ‘Anti-Fascist’ of laying siege to federal buildings and attacking ICE agents, National Guards, and other officials charged with enforcing federal law. Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, was also present at the meeting. She said Antifa’s agenda was to “destroy the American people.”
Recently, Rutgers University professor Mark Bray, who taught a course on anti-fascism, left the US, a day after he was blocked from boarding a flight to Spain, following the White House event. The historian, who has taught courses on anti-fascism at New Jersey University, was attempting to board a plane at Newark airport late on Wednesday when he was informed at the boarding gate that his and his family's reservations had been cancelled.
After Charlie Kirk’s assassination on September 10th, the rightwing influencer Jack Posobiec called Bray a “domestic terrorist professor” on X. The Rutgers chapter of Turning Point USA then circulated a petition that accused the professor of being an “outspoken, well-known antifa member” and called for his dismissal.
This attempt to demonise groups that are challenging the increasingly authoritarian actions against immigrants and other marginal groups is part of an incremental phase of clampdowns on freedom of assembly and protest. As tensions increase, the need to isolate specific groups as terrorist organisations is an apparent attempt to shut down the right to hold the government to account in a failing democracy.
This official White House video shows the invited attendees, including Nick Sortor, Cam Higby, Jonathan Choe, Andy Ngo, Katie Daviscourt, James Klug, Savanah Hernandez, Nick Shirley, Brandi Kruse, and Julio Rojas.
Brandi Kruse, a Seattle-based conservative influencer, called Antifa a “paid anarchist group,” despite Reuters and ACLED describing it as a decentralised organisation that is not unified. She claimed she had Trump Derangement Syndrome, but she “recovered” from it.
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“Some of us have been covering Antifa for 15 years and have never had anyone in a position of authority even acknowledge their existence,” she said, praising Trump.
Andy Ngo, a conservative influencer and street agitator, has often gone viral for his confrontations with Antifa members. He recalled an incident when members of the Antifa group allegedly assaulted him in 2019. “I was ambushed in a mob beating… The punches came from everywhere — on my head and my face, and I was bleeding out of my eyes and ears,” he said.
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Trump also joined in, seemingly supporting Andy Ngo’s narrative. “Antifa thugs have repeatedly beaten Andy Ngo,” Trump said, adding, “Andy is a very serious person too. Been watching him for a long time.”
I had met Ngo in London last October when he avoided my questions and hid behind his phone with the flashlight on.
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Nick Sortor, another conservative influencer, recently claimed he was arrested in Portland for allegedly trying to cover the law-and-order situation in the city amid Trump’s push to deploy the National Guard. “Frankly, the cities and police departments are COOPERATING with Antifa, such as Portland!” he claimed.
Trump, meanwhile, called for the prosecution of those involved in the arrest of the Sortor, including one individual Sortor claimed he saw was burning the US flag.
The connecting thread between these people is that they are directly connected to the Turning Point organisation, who believe someone from the Anfita groups murdered Charlie Kirk, but the evidence so far shows this connection to be false.
It would be a violation of the First Amendment to prosecute all those who subscribed to anti-fascist ideology. While it is illegal to provide “material support” to groups designated by the government as foreign terrorist organisations, there is no analogous law for domestic groups, but it is hoped that new laws could be passed to give police new powers to arrest anyone associated with a proscribed group.
Antifa, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem added, is “just as sophisticated as MS-13, as TDA (Tren de Aragua), as ISIS, as Hezbollah, as Hamas — as all of them — they are just as dangerous.”
Trump closed the event with one final ding at reporters in the room before departing, he said, to address ongoing efforts to secure a Middle East peace deal.
“I think you could stay a little longer, but, you know, the problem is, although you have some very honest journalists in here, you also have some mostly dishonest journalists, like MS-DNC and CNN — I think they’re very dishonest, unbelievably, like a waste of time even talking to them,” he said. “But I have to go now to try and solve some problems in the Middle East.”
British investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr has repeatedly warned that Donald Trump’s actions and policies pose a direct threat to the independent media and journalists. Her concerns connect Trump’s behaviour with the broader influence of big tech and disinformation, which she describes as the “broligarchy”.
Trump has assembled the social media influencers who most support him and never criticise him. Anything Trump sees as criticism is “fake news” and will be attacked or censored by limiting its reach. This puts Trump in a very weak position in the longer term. Good leaders don’t need to be sung lullabies that help them get a good night’s sleep.
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10 25
Trump and key officials from his administration were joined by a group of conservative influencers for a roundtable discussion on Antifa on Tuesday at the White House. Among those who joined the 79-year-old were Andy Ngo, Brandi Kruse, Nick Sortor, Cam Higby, Jonathan Choe, and many more.
Brandi Kruse and Andy Ngo listens at the White House on Wednesday.(AP)
At the roundtable, Trump accused Antifa - short for 'Anti-Fascist' of laying siege to federal buildings and attacking ICE agents, National Guards, and other officials charged with enforcing federal law. Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, was also present at the meeting. She said Antifa's agenda was to "destroy the American people."
Andy Ngo, Nick Sortor, Brandi Kruse and the other conservative activists also spoke about their experiences with the group after Trump and his officials were done speaking at the discussion.
Here's a full list of conservative influencers present at the roundtable: Nick Sortor, Cam Higby, Jonathan Choe, Andy Ngo, Katie Daviscourt, James Klug, Savanah Hernandez, Nick Shirley, Brandi Kruse and Julio Rojas.
Andy Ngo Recalls Alleged Antifa Ambush
Andy Ngo, a conservative influencer, has often gone viral for his confrontations with Antifa members. He recalled an incident when members of the Antifa group allegedly assaulted him in 2019. "I was ambushed in a mob beating... The punches came from everywhere — on my head and my face, and I was bleeding out of my eyes and ears," he said.
Trump also joined in, seemingly supporting Andy Ngo's narrative. "Andy Ngo has been repeatedly beaten by antifa thugs," Trump said, adding, "Andy is a very serious person too. Been watching him for a long time."
Nick Sortor Talks About Portland Arrest
Nick Sortor, another conservative influencer, recently claimed he was arrested in Portlandfor allegedly trying to cover the law-and-order situation in the city amid Trump's push to deploy the National Guard. "Frankly, the cities and police departments are COOPERATING with Antifa, such as Portland!" he claimed.
Trump, meanwhile, called for the prosecution of those involved in the arrest of the Sortor, including one individual Sortor claimed he saw was burning the US flag.
Also read: Trump vs Antifa: What is anti-fascist movement and who founded it? All FAQs answered
Brandi Kruse Details Change Of Perception On Trump
Brandi Kruse, a Seattle-based conservative influencer, called Antifa a "paid anarchist group," despite Reuters and ACLED describing it as a decentralized organization that is not unified. She claimed she had Trump Derangement Syndrome, but she "recovered" from it.
"Some of us have been covering Antifa for 15 years and have never had anyone in a position of authority even acknowledge their existence," she said, praising Trump.
“I even think I got a little more attractive after I got rid of my Trump derangement syndrome,” she added, noting that since she stopped reporting negatively on Trump, she has been “happier, healthier, [and] more successful”
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MMA
October 8, 2025, edition of Fox News' The Five
JESSE WATTERS (CO-HOST): It is funny to watch Trump be a Fox News producer. We wake up in the morning and we look at the news and you see Trump is holding an antifa roundtable at the White House, and you just say thank you. Thank you, Donald Trump. This is the best. We know all of these reporters that are around this roundtable. Nick Sortor, Daviscourt, Andy Ngo. They're, like, guests on our shows. The mainstream media has probably never heard of any of these people, and this is why this is such great programming.
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nbcno pix lnx
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/internet/portland-ice-protest-trump-nick-sortor-andy-ngo-katie-daviscourt-rcna236332
10 25
Portland's anti-ICE protests have become a magnet for MAGA influencers
Right-wing influencers and media figures have flocked to Portland, helping bring national and Trump administration attention to ICE protests in the city.
Trump supporters face off with protesters outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore., on Oct. 6, 2025.
Trump supporters face off with protesters Monday outside a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility in Portland, Ore.Ethan Swope / AP
Oct. 9, 2025, 1:03 PM PDT
By David Ingram and Jo Yurcaba
PORTLAND, Ore. — Within a week, Nick Sortor experienced the lows and highs of being a MAGA influencer.
Last Thursday, Sortor was jailed in Portland after police arrested him on suspicion of disorderly conduct. A fan of President Donald Trump with 1.2 million followers on X, he had traveled to Oregon’s largest city to document the protest scene outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility. Police said he was involved in an altercation with demonstrators but was ultimately not charged.
But six days later, Sortor was back on the upswing: By Wednesday, he was sitting at the White House just a few feet away from Trump, as he and other conservative media figures were invited to participate in a roundtable discussion about the anti-ICE activity they had seen in Portland.
“It was not fun sitting in that jail, but I’m glad to see what has come of it,” Sortor, 27, told Trump during the livestreamed event.
The roundtable was a unifying moment for the alternative, right-wing media ecosystem that is helping shape perceptions of protests against Trump’s mass deportation campaign, showing how the MAGA influencers and the Trump administration are playing off one another in response to anti-ICE protests around the country.
Right-wing podcasters, writers and pundits are flocking to Democratic deep-blue cities to document the scene for their massive audiences but also, in some cases such as Portland, to spar with left-wing demonstrators. Their presence has been praised by the Trump administration and criticized by police for escalating tensions.
Federal agents stand guard on a rooftop to keep protesters away from an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in downtown Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 6, 2025.
Federal agents stand guard on a rooftop Monday as protesters gather outside an ICE facility in Portland.Mathieu Lewis-Rolland / AFP - Getty Images
A poll last month from The New York Times and Siena University showed voters deeply divided on the immigration crackdown, with a slim majority, 52%, saying they disapprove of Trump’s handling of immigration and 46% saying they approve. The poll showed 51% believe Trump’s immigration actions have “gone too far,” 35% say they have been “about right” and 12% say they have “not gone far enough.”
At least a dozen out-of-town conservative journalists and influencers were on the ground in Portland in recent days, according to interviews with some of them and posts on social media.
“This is now a full-blown information war that we’re in, so being on the front lines is more important than ever,” said Jonathan Choe, who traveled from Seattle to Portland for Frontlines, a project of the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA. Choe spoke by phone on Tuesday, a day before taking part in the White House event, with Sortor.
Sortor, whose profile on X says he’s based in Texas and Washington, D.C., did not respond to requests for comment.
In Portland, anti-ICE protests have taken place nearly daily since June, largely confined to a block outside the ICE facility, about two miles south of downtown. The facility, where ICE agents bring people who’ve been arrested and are awaiting processing, was also the site of protests in 2018.
Activists and police say the crowd size and the intensity of the protests in Portland have grown in recent weeks, following Trump’s Sept. 27 announcement that he wants to send in National Guard troops with “full force” and as more influencers have arrived. The crowd sometimes has a circus-like atmosphere, including one anti-ICE regular who wears an inflatable frog costume.
While federal agents protect the ICE facility itself, local police patrol the nearby streets. Portland police say they’ve arrested more than 40 people in the protest area since June, including one man who jumped into the nearby Willamette River on Tuesday night, after police say he stole a tripod from the protest area. Additionally, federal prosecutors say they’ve charged 31 people for federal offenses at the ICE facility, including assaults on officers.
Portland police say that some of the self-described journalists appearing outside the ICE facility are acting more like counterprotesters. In an email made public last week as part of Oregon and Portland’s lawsuit against the Trump administration, Sgt. Andrew Braun named three right-wing journalists or activists who he said were victims as well as a chronic source of emergency calls.
“Despite repeated advice from officers to stay away from the ICE crowd, they constantly return and antagonize the protesters until they are assaulted or pepper sprayed. They refuse or are reluctant to walk away from these confrontations, even when police are in the area trying to meet with them. They even engage in the same trespassing behavior on federal and trolley property as the main protesters,” Braun wrote in the Sept. 21 email.
Among those named was Katie Daviscourt, a writer for The Post Millennial. Daviscourt, who had traveled to Portland from Seattle, fired back on X, disputing the characterization.
“I am beyond pissed. Anyone who knows me, knows that I stand by myself, I am non violent, never approach the crowd, and quietly film,” she wrote. “I cannot wait to see the DOJ absolutely CRUSH this agency,” she added, referring to the Portland police. She did not respond to a request for comment.
Daviscourt said she was hit in the face at a protest last week and was bruised. Police said they were searching for a suspect. Daviscourt was also among the conservative media figures at the White House on Wednesday.
Mike Benner, a spokesperson for the Portland Police Bureau, said the bureau, unlike police in some other cities, does not have a credentialing process for members of the media.
“We recognize the changing landscape of journalism and respect the rights of both traditional and independent journalists to document events,” he said in an email. “We ask all individuals — regardless of media status — to comply with lawful orders and avoid interfering with law enforcement operations.”
Portland Police Chief Bob Day said in a news conference Tuesday that tensions near the ICE facility had risen due to the “influence of social media” and national attention. And in an interview on Monday with Fox News’ streaming service, he criticized influencers’ focus on getting views.
Federal agents, including members of the Department of Homeland Security, stand guard outside an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility in downtown Portland, Oregon, on Oct. 6, 2025.
Federal agents, including members of the Department of Homeland Security, stand guard Monday outside an ICE facility in Portland.Mathiew Lewis-Rolland / AFP - Getty Images
“Their reach is obviously very significant, and so they’re going where they can get the views and create the perception. And our belief is that we are simply managing to the rule of law,” he said.
But the ascendant MAGA influencers have the ears of Trump Cabinet members: Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem met some of them in person Tuesday during a trip to Portland, and on Wednesday, Noem, Attorney General Pam Bondi and FBI Director Kash Patel joined the White House roundtable. At one point during the event, Trump directed Sortor and Bondi to confer about a possible investigation related to one of his videos.
Sortor said on X that he was acting in self-defense prior to his arrest. The Portland-area district attorney’s office declined to charge him with disorderly conduct, saying in a statement that while it believed police had probable cause to arrest him, it did not believe the crime could be proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Two anti-ICE protesters who were arrested at the same time are now facing criminal charges.
Accounts of the protests in conservative media often emphasize what they see as the rectitude of ICE’s operations, criticizing those who disagree. These accounts often include shaky video taken at night of protesters and counterprotesters facing off. It’s often close-in footage that lacks perspective on the size of the unrest. MAGA influencers also provide steady content for television networks like Fox News, where some of them have appeared for interviews.
At one point, Trump expressed confusion about the true nature of the situation in Portland, telling NBC News in a phone interview on Sept. 28 that he was getting conflicting accounts.
“I spoke to the governor. She was very nice,” Trump said. “But I said, ‘Well wait a minute, am I watching things on television that are different from what’s happening? My people tell me different.’ They are literally attacking and there are fires all over the place.”
At Wednesday’s roundtable, Trump praised Daviscourt and Sortor, saying he watched a video of Sortor and sent him a note. On X, Sortor said that Trump wrote, “Nick, I saw you on television. Great job. We are behind you 100%. Let us know if there is anything we can do… President DJT”
The influencers descending on Portland fall along a spectrum, with some closer to the role of traditional journalists than others. Choe, the Frontlines reporter, who previously worked in local TV news, said he’s been one of three Frontlines reporters who have been tag-teaming coverage in recent days, posting videos on a common account on X. He’s a Trump supporter and has cheered on Sortor, but he said he personally sticks to reporting facts on the ground.
Some of the MAGA influencers are with established conservative media outlets such as The Post Millennial or The Blaze, while many others are independent. On Tuesday, the gaggle included Florida-based podcaster Benny Johnson, who has nearly 6 million subscribers on YouTube and who flew in to Portland to report on Noem’s visit.
A White House spokesperson, Abigail Jackson, praised the cadre of right-wing influencers and journalists in a statement, saying: “The White House applauds all journalists who are willing [to] blaze their own trail to report the facts rather than go along with the Fake News Groupthink. The situation in Portland is a prime example.”
But some conservative media figures aren’t in Portland only to broadcast and document.
Some MAGA influencers have initiated confrontations with protesters who have set up camp on public sidewalks, walking through their tents and set-ups and interfering with protests.
Matt Tardio, a podcaster, has posted on X about wanting to “parlay with ANTIFA” alongside Sortor and hold a “PATRIOT MARCH” through a camp of protesters on a sidewalk near the ICE facility. He did not respond to a request for comment.
Sortor has repeatedly confronted anti-ICE protesters in Portland, according to videos that he and other influencers have posted on X.
“I’m going to walk through. I want to give a tour of the camp,” he says in one video, just before he advances into a tent carrying an American flag on a pole. As a protestor stands in his way on a public sidewalk, he responds, “Unfortunately, I’m going. Get out of the way. Get out of the way.”
In another video, he steps in and seizes an American flag that protesters had set on fire. On Wednesday, he brought the flag to the White House and showed it to Trump, who suggested the possibility of a flag-burning investigation. (The Supreme Court ruled in 1989 that flag-burning is generally protected speech under the First Amendment. Trump said Monday that he disagrees and believes that flag-burning is a form of incitement to violence — an idea that the 1989 court explicitly rejected.)
Sortor was best known for commentary regarding Maui wildfires in 2023, for which he was criticized for allegedly politicizing the response, including by actor Dwayne Johnson, who called Sortor’s work “toxic, false clickbait garbage.” Sortor replied to Johnson at the time, saying he was focused on getting the government to provide more aid to Maui and was willing to work together.
Since at least 2017, Portland has been a recurring backdrop for street standoffs that pit the far right against self-described antifascist demonstrators clad in black clothing. Conservative writer Andy Ngo was beaten up at one rally in 2019 and now describes himself on X as a Portland refugee in London. He still frequently posts about his former city and was also at the White House event on Wednesday.
For this round of protests, there’s no comparable group of out-of-town left-wing influencers who have traveled to Portland, although local independent journalists have documented the protests on sites such as TikTok and Bluesky.
Julio Rosas, a national correspondent for The Blaze, a conservative media outlet, said there’s a bond among the right-wing influencers and journalists who’ve parachuted into Portland. He was there in 2021 capturing video of Black Lives Matter protests and this year he has taken two reporting trips to the city, including one within the past few days. He said he considers Sortor a friend and “a great patriot.”
“We’re often out there on our own. We’re independent or come from companies with much smaller budgets than other places,” he said. “It’s good to have someone to watch your back.”
But he said he doesn’t relish the assignment in Portland.
“Who wants to spend hours outside where people are angry?” Rosas said.
David Ingram reported from San Francisco. Jo Yurcaba reported from Portland.
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mma 3 23 kill cit jrnl
Self-described “accidental journalist” Nick Sortor has become right-wing media's go-to source for commentary and information on what is happening in East Palestine, Ohio, after 38 train cars carrying toxic chemicals derailed near the town on February 3.
Over three weeks after the derailment, residents of East Palestine still have questions about whether it is safe to be in their homes or use tap water. Messaging from the state and federal government on the response efforts has been unclear and even contradictory at times, fueling conspiracy theories, such as the idea that the derailment was “planned.” The train owner, Norfolk Southern, may be trying to shirk accountability, after aggressively lobbying against railroad regulations that may have prevented the Ohio accident and others like it. This isn’t the company’s first large-scale accident.
In situations like this, independent or citizen journalists and even content creators with relevant expertise can serve as important checks for the government, corporations, and mainstream media.
But the right has utilized this type of journalism to legitimize extreme voices and harmful ideas. Anonymous internet vigilantes and so-called “citizen journalists” like discredited video artist James O’Keefe have capitalized on public distrust in the media to push their dangerous misinformation tactics. In January 2019, Gateway Pundit founder and“dumbest man on the internet” Jim Hoftannounced that his outlet would have a White House correspondent with the Trump administration. Now, young influencers like Sortor and independent journalist Savanah Hernandez are taking advantage of disinformation networks and the algorithms driving viral news on social media to fulfill a political agenda and fuel the right-wing outrage machine.
The right-wing media's go-to source on East Palestine is basically just a random guy who showed up in Ohio
Since his arrival in East Palestine, The Roundtable Show co-host Nick Sortor has conducted multiple high-profile interviews with large right-wing news outlets and even mainstream news.
Despite being referred to as a video journalist by multiple news outlets, according to his LinkedIn, Sortor does not have a background in media outside of his role on The Roundtable Show, which mostly discusses cryptocurrency, finance, and sometimes current events. Up until January 2023, though, he described himself as a “political operative.”
While visiting East Palestine at the encouragement of his followers, Sortor captured an East Palestine resident throwing a rock into a clearly oil-sheened creek on video, citing it as proof that the water in the area was “extremely contaminated.” This was not a new or surprising finding. The Ohio EPA had said that some creeks near the derailment were in fact contaminated. The video went viral, staking Sortor’s claim to right-wing legitimacy and amassing over 10 million views. Since Sortor began covering the story, he has gained about 39,000 Twitter followers, nearly an 80% increase.
The video, along with some of Sortor’s other content, has been promoted by right-wing influencers such as conspiracy theorist
, and Turning Point USA’s Charlie Kirk. On Truth Social, Donald Trump promoted his tweet announcing the former president’s visit to the town.
Sortor is not a resident of East Palestine or even Ohio. Based on a review of his recent content, he appears to have never before had an interest in environmental issues. And yet, he has been asked to
issues he seemingly knows nothing about, making vague blanket statements instead of actually answering questions. On the February 14 segment ofTucker Carlson Tonight,Carlson asked Sortor whether the EPA was “tracking where this cloud of chemicals went? I mean it was a local problem, it became a regional problem. Do we have any information on the effects of those clouds of chemicals?” It’s astonishing that out of all the people Fox News could have chosen to answer this question, they chose someone with seemingly no knowledge of the subject. And in fact, Sorotor barely answered the question. “The EPA is not releasing a lot of the data that they've supposedly been collecting,” he replied.
Sortor was chosen as a convenient spokesperson not because of the quality of his coverage, but because of his political beliefs
Besides the viral video, it seems the only thing Sortor could have possibly added to East Palestine coverage would have been his credentials as a journalist, which don’t really exist. To right-wing media, seemingly the only credential that matters is that Sortor is a vocal critic of the Biden administration and an admirer of former President Donald Trump.
In Sortor’s reporting, getting answers for the residents of East Palestine and confronting how the accident happened in the first place came second to attacking the Biden administration and praising Trump. In his interviews and on Twitter,Sortor barely touched on past rail deregulation, or what might be done in the future to prevent such an incident. Sortor is unabashedly MAGA, even using the disaster to encourage people to vote for Trump in 2024.
On top of that, Sortor baselessly claimed that the EPA is somehow allying with Norfolk Southern to bypass the concerns of East Palestine residents. “The government is doing everything they can to help Norfolk Southern get back to their normal operations,” he said on the February 15 segment ofOANN’s In Focus with Addison Smith. “Maybe the guilty party here (Norfolk Southern) will end up being the hero,” he said on the February 17 episode of The Charlie Kirk Show. Even according to pro-industry sources, this would not typically be the case. Doomberg, an energy and finance substack run by an anonymous group of “former industry executives” writes: “In our experience, the EPA would not look to minimize the severity of an industrial accident of this type. Quite the opposite.” The substack goes on to note that the agency would never “protect the very corporate interests they otherwise infuriate with their harsh oversight on a daily basis.” Of course, this doesn’t mean there aren’t problems withfederal agencies’ approach to handling this incident and concerns about what data has and hasn’t been shared publicly.
Infamous right-wing independent reporter flocks to East Palestine seeking viral content
Sortor was not the only independent journalist drawn to East Palestine. Right-wing influencer and TPUSA contributor Savanah Hernandez showed up to cover Trump’s visit to the town and to harang Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and other transportation department officials when they arrived on Thursday, February 23. Despite highlighting how the media has been ignoring East Palestine, Hernandez herself did not arrive until February 22, over two weeks after the derailment.
Hernandez has thus far dedicated her career to promoting conspiracy theories, having gotten her start on InfoWars with War Room host Owen Shroyer, who was notably named in defamation lawsuits filed by the families of Sandy Hook shooting victims. According to her website, Hernandez was working there at the time the lawsuits were filed.
She later moved on to traveling around the country mostly provoking left-wing activists to propel moral outrage. Hernandez prides herself on having been suspended or banned from Twitter three times and suspended from YouTube four times for violating community guidelines. Twitter CEO Elon Musk reinstated her Twitter account in November.
She is a virulent transphobe known for contributing to the
of Lia Thomas, the first trans D-I athlete to win an NCAA title. A video of Hernandez attempting to humiliate some kids at D.C. pride for her viewers was taken down from Twitter but is now up again. She has promoted anti-vax misinformation and once held a “police lives matter” sign at a Black Lives Matter protest. She also took an interest in the World Economic Forum’s annual retreat, where she made it her mission to affirm the Great Reset conspiracy and push climate change denial. Rumble hosts all of Hernandez’s videos that have been removed from YouTube.
Hernandez brought her ill intentions to East Palestine. While participating in interviews on the ground, she repeatedly insisted that Trump was not motivated by publicity when he visited East Palestine. On the February 22 segment ofWar Room, she told Steve BannonthatTrump was a “true leader who cared about the American people actually here on the ground not for publicity, not for likes, not for followers, not for the cameras, but genuinely to just show the people that he cares.” She also made a similar point inThe Ingraham Angle on February 24.
Meanwhile, even some on Fox News have admitted that Trump’s visit was in many ways a publicity stunt. Initially, Fox Business host Stuart Varney actually agreed with Biden’s decision to visit Ukraine instead of Ohio. On theFebruary 21 segment of Varney & Co., he said, “I just don't think there's an equivalent between a train derailment in Ohio, awful as it was, and the development of maybe World War III in Europe. I mean, there's a complete difference, and our president should be over there.” Thenext day, he admitted that “the train disaster in Ohio has given Donald Trump a political opportunity and he's jumping on it … For Trump, this visit is a major campaign event. His rival, Ron Desantis, made a series of well-received appearances recently, now Trump wants to jump out in front, writing to the rescue of everyday Americans in need.”
Aside from a video of her and another TPUSA reporter confronting a Norfolk Southern representative about what the company would be doing to help residents, Hernandez mostly neglected to mention Norfolk Southern’s role in the incident.
Despite taking credit for almost single-handedly bringing awareness to the issue, these citizen journalists provide almost no helpful information
Both the federal government and Northfolk South have handled the derailment poorly, potentially putting the future of East Palestine and residents of surrounding areas at risk to the effects of long-term chemical exposure. But information about exactly which questions have and haven’t been answered, exactly what we know and what we don’t know, are missing from the sensationalist coverage of right-wing citizen journalists. Listening to these interviews, the only information that one would glean is: Biden is bad, Trump is good, and people are angry. There is so much more to the story.
Particularly as the local news void grows, citizen journalists will seek to fill in the gaps. We’ve seen how it can be a useful resource for public officials and even professional newsrooms, and a force for grassroots democracy, particularly in shedding light on environmental injustice. That — not ill-informed right-wing commentary — is the kind of reporting that the people of East Palestine deserve.
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