catturd

===

what we used to call alt rt shitposter?

SEE CRM

===

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an 11 25

In their thirst to speak of anything but damning emails further linking President Donald Trump to the crimes of Jeffrey Epstein, right-wing influencers were desperately grasping at everything.

New York Times reporter Ken Bensinger describes pundits’ ‘thunderous silence’ at one of the most exciting media explosions in weeks.

“For hours, Fox News made nary a mention of the tranche [of incriminating documents], whose contents suggested, among other things, that the president knew more about the abuses perpetrated by Mr. Epstein, a former friend, than he had admitted,” said Bensinger. “Prominent podcasters like Ben Shapiro and Megyn Kelly focused on H-1B visas, the government shutdown and a proposal for 50-year mortgages on their shows and social media.”

The online troll account known as “Catturd,” which posts “dozens of times every day to its nearly four million followers on X,” spent the aftermath of the email release attacking Michelle Obama, Gov. Gavin Newsom of California and former FBI Director James Comey.

“But as time wore on, right-wing media figures began coalescing around another approach: focusing on a single redacted name in the emails,” said Bensinger. “They argued that Democrats on the House Oversight Committee — who had released three emails early on Wednesday — had created a false narrative by hiding the name of one of Epstein’s victims in one of the messages. The redaction, the theory went, was meant to cover up that the victim, Virginia Giuffre, previously said she had never witnessed Mr. Trump involved in sexual abuse of minors.”

“This was done intentionally,” posted Newsmax anchor Rob Schmitt. He then followed that up with a selfie-style video in a gym. “This is how sick and twisted these people are,” Schmitt said. “They are vile creatures. This is what we’re up against.”

Right-wing media figures are in a difficult position, said Bensinger.

“The unified response to this week’s [email] disclosures shows how closely aligned right-wing media voices are with elected Republicans and the degree to which the two share story lines — and provide each other political cover,” said Bensinger. “Indeed, the core message that ended up emanating from conservative media this week originated [from Republicans] within the Oversight Committee itself, [who] jumped on the redaction question less than an hour after the three emails dropped.”

“Why did Democrats cover up the name?” Bensinger said committee Republicans posted on X. “Democrats are trying to create a fake narrative to slander President Trump.”

The White House seized that same line of thinking, pointing out that the redacted Epstein victim in the emails never claimed Trump had personally touched her.

Other MAGA influencers are now trying to ride that train as far as it can go, said Bensinger, with podcasters Benny Johnson and Tim Pool joining countless others in unified argument, all trying to raise suspicion over why Giuffre’s name was redacted.

Bensinger points out that it is the policy of the Oversight Committee to redact the names of victims in its revelations, and that Republicans committed an “apparent violation of the committee’s policy” when they released the unredacted version.

Read the New York Times report at this link.

---

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an 10 25

One of President Donald Trump's most loyal internet defenders has turned onRep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), saying she has betrayed the president with her recent critique of him and the Republican party, Newsweekreports.

The anonymous social media account known as "Cat——", which has 3.9 million followers, complained that the Republican congresswoman had been "stabbing Trump in the back at every turn" and called for her to be primaried.

Last week, Mediaitereported that Greene was no longer following one of its social media accounts "amid a MAGA civil war."

Greene's vocal pushback against the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the release of files associated with the late convicted sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein and foreign policy measures has "triggered a backlash from some MAGA influencers," Newsweek says.

Cat—— shared an image claiming Greene had made $21 million in five years in Congress and said it was "time to primary and get rid of this fraud."

IFrame Content

IFrame Content

IFrame Content

They also said Greene, who has said her high net worth comes from her family's construction business and personal investments, was "getting filthy rich while stabbing Trump in the back at every turn."

"I'm so tired of these complete and utter phonies," they wrote, adding in a subsequent post. "Marjorie Taylor Greene is so cringe now. I feel like taking a bath because I ever supported her. She’s a total fraud who’s gotten filthy rich in a few short years in Congress."

Greene doesn't seem to care what they think, telling NBC News earlier this month, “I’m not some sort of blind slave to the president, and I don’t think anyone should be.”

---

MMA

Right-wing media run wild with the blatantly false claim that Democrats are shutting down the government to secure “health care for illegals”

The New York Times noted a “misleading” Republican talking point on the looming shutdown. That talking point is all over right-wing media.

Written by Gideon Taaffe, Isabella Sherk & Pete Tsipis

Published 09/30/25

Right-wing media are pushing a lie that Democrats are threatening to shut down the government over “free health care for illegal immigrants” and want to “blow up the budget” for “illegal aliens” even though undocumented immigrants are not eligible for federally funded health benefits.

The Democrats are actually pushing to extend subsidies for the Affordable Care Act without which millions of Americans could face significantly higher health care premiums and lose access to health care. Additionally, Democrats are pushing to reverse cuts to federally funded health care that were passed under Trump's “One Big Beautiful Bill” in July.

• ## As the government faces a shutdown, conservatives lie about Democrats’ funding priorities

• • The U.S. government may face a shutdown on October 1 if Congress does not pass a short-term funding bill, and currently the two main points of contention are Democrats’ call to extend enhanced federal subsidies for Affordable Care Act coverage that are set to expire this year and reverse cuts to health care, including Medicaid, passed in Trump’s “One Big Beautiful Bill.”CNN, [9/30/25]

• • Democrats have proposed to continue the ACA subsidies, which would help “22 million Americans lower their health insurance costs” and save health care for an estimated 4 million.According to the nonpartisan health policy research group KFF, the result of letting the subsidies end would be “an increase of more than 75% in premiums on average for enrollees; a 90% increase in many rural areas.” Subsequently, the Congressional Budget Office estimates that 4 million people will lose health insurance. CBS News, [9/30/25; KFF, 9/3/25; Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, 9/22/25]

• • Several prominent Republicans have falsely claimed that Democrats are trying to use a government shutdown to demand health care for undocumented immigrants.President Donald Trump posted a deepfake video to Truth Social of House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) in a sombrero and a mustache and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) claiming, “If we give all these illegal aliens health care, we might be able to get them on our side so they can vote for us.” Vice President JD Vance posted, “Democrats are about to shutdown the government because they demand we fund healthcare for illegal aliens.” And House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) put out a press release that claimed “Democrats are Choosing Health Care for Illegal Aliens over American Troop Pay.” Truth Social, [9/29/25; Politico, 9/30/25; Twitter/X, 9/25/25; MikeJohnson.house.gov, 9/28/25]

• • NY Times: The Democrats’ budget proposal “does not provide free health care for unauthorized immigrants.”Undocumented immigrants are “largely barred from federally funded health care,” as the Times reports, and while the Democrats’ proposal would restore eligibility for certain groups of “lawfully present” immigrants, it would not make unauthorized immigrants eligible. The Times adds: “There is no uniform definition for ‘lawful presence,’ a term typically used by federal and state health care and social welfare programs to determine eligibility. Most groups of ‘lawfully present’ noncitizens have authorized or legal immigration status like refugees and asylum recipients.” The New York Times, [9/29/25]

• ## Right-wing media falsely claim Democrats are shutting down the government over health care for undocumented immigrants

• • Fox News host Ainsley Earhardt claimed Democrats say “we want health care for all Americans, but that would include the illegals.”Co-host Lawrence Jones replied, “They’re still fighting for illegals. You just lost the election over it.” He said the Democrats don’t have political support on this: “You lost on it. Move forward.” Fox News, *Fox & Friends*,[9/30/25]

• • Teasing a segment, Fox News anchor Trace Gallagher said, “A government shutdown now 25 hours away and it appears Democrats are still pushing free health care for illegal immigrants.” Fox News, *Fox News @ Night*, [9/29/25]

• • Fox host Sean Hannity said, “Schumer and his Democratic friends … want free health care for illegals as part of that deal.” He said it is “interesting because Democrats used to be totally against free health care benefits for illegals” and played clips of Schumer and then-first lady Hillary Clinton opposing the idea. Fox News, *Hannity*, [9/29/25]

• • On his radio show, Hannity said Schumer won’t get what he wants because “we're not going to pay for health care for illegal immigrants by virtue of the fact they don't deserve benefits that are supposed to be reserved for the American people.” Premier Radio Networks, *The Sean Hannity Show*, [9/29/25]

• • Fox host Mark Levin posted that Democrats “want to give their biggest constituency, illegal aliens, free healthcare at your expense, and blow up the budget.” He added that they will shut down the government if Republicans don’t “go along and spend another $1 trillion plus!” Twitter/X, [9/27/25]

• • Hannity claimed that “if there is a government shutdown, it will be on the Democrats,” saying, “Democrats are fighting for, you know, for services for illegal immigrants. They're fighting for more DEI programs.” Hannity stated this to a caller who criticized Hannity for saying federal employees would “go home for two weeks, sit on the couch, and then come back and get back pay.” Premier Radio Networks,*The Sean Hannity Show*, [9/26/25]

• • Hannity also claimed that Democrat demands “include things like over a trillion dollars in new spending for health care for illegals, taxpayer-funded gender swap surgeries for minors, open borders, men in women’s sports.” Fox News, *Hannity*, [9/23/25]

• • Right-wing podcast host Laura Loomer wrote, “Democrats are threatening to shut down the government unless they get taxpayer-funded healthcare for illegals.” She added, “They really do hate America.” Twitter/X, [9/26/25]

• • Right-wing talk show host and former White House press secretary Sean Spicer claimed that “access to health care” is “code for taxpayer financed healthcare for illegals.” Twitter/X, [9/30/25]

• • Right-wing influencer Catturd posted, “Imagine shutting down the government because you want illegals to have free healthcare, and then thinking it’s gonna be popular with the American people.” Twitter/X, [9/30/25]

//

1. ### Sean Hannity: “I don't care if the government shuts down”

09/30/25 12:35 PM EDT

2. ### Benny Johnson: “I feel like most workers in the federal government are nonessential. I think most of them could be replaced by an AI chatbot, frankly.”

09/30/25 12:13 PM EDT

3. ### Newsmax host: “Let's not pretend that the idea of a government shutdown isn't somewhat alluring to most of us”

09/30/25

---

{---}:

mma

Right-wing media figures are exploiting state clerical errors and voter roll purges to fearmonger about mass voting by noncitizens

Right-wing media figures are accusing Democrats of “cheating,” though audits and studies have repeatedly shown that noncitizen voting rarely happens at all

Written by Jack Winstanley

Published 10/03/24

Conservative outlets and media figures are amplifying reports of clerical errors, state voter roll audits, and Republican lawsuits to push a narrative that noncitizens are being widely allowed to vote in elections, despite evidence that very few votes are actually cast — and this right-wing framing is being used to argue that Democrats will “cheat” in November’s election. Meanwhile, multiple GOP-led states are pushing for voter roll purges that disenfranchise thousands of legal voters.

• ## Right-wing media figures and politicians have stoked fears of mass voting by noncitizens, despite evidence that it rarely happens

• • Right-wing media figures and politicians have repeatedly evoked the specter of mass voting by noncitizens to promote supposed “election integrity” measures and stricter voter ID laws. Right-wing figures are fixated on voters registered through DMV offices and driver's license applications as a potential source of mass voter fraud. This fixation follows years of right-wing media figures conflating “voter fraud” with registration inaccuracies to claim that “dead people” and “illegal aliens” are casting ballots. Media Matters, [7/11/24, 2/21/16]

• • Fox News has spent months pushing the false narrative that undocumented immigrants are coming across the border in droves to vote in the election — with several network figures citing driver's licenses as a source of fraud. In one segment, Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo cited a debunked video in claiming that “14% of illegal immigrants admitted that they are registered to vote.” In another, host Jeanine Pirro baselessly claimed that migrants are “lining up to vote right now, given driver’s license.” Media Matters, [9/16/24]

• • Right-wing media figures have also repeatedly pushed the “great replacement” conspiracy theory — accusing Democrats of weaponizing the immigration system for their own electoral gain. Conservatives have claimed that the Biden administration is allowing “a wide open border” in order to sway electoral and census data so Democrats “can get more Electoral College votes so they can find another way to rig elections.” Media Matters, [3/4/24, 3/26/24, 1/12/24, 6/30/22]

• • Right-wing media pushed conspiracy theories that helped to successfully convince six Republican-led states to pull out of an interstate voter data-sharing effort over bogus claims of inflated voter rolls. Right-wing media claimed that the Electronic Registration Information Center — a system for states to share voter registration data for cleanup and auditing — is really a “left wing voter registration drive disguised as voter roll clean up.” Media Matters, [5/4/23]

• • Numerous studies — including from right-wing organization The Heritage Foundation — have concluded that noncitizen voting is extremely rare and does not influence election outcomes. A 2017 study from the Brennan Center for Justice analyzed 23.5 million ballots from 42 jurisdictions and found only 30 cases of potential noncitizen voting. An audit of Georgia’s voter rolls found less than 2,000 instances of noncitizens attempting to register to vote over the last 25 years, with none being accepted and allowed to vote. The Associated Press, [10/19/22; Brennan Center for Justice, 5/5/17; Georgia Secretary of State, 4/11/22; Immigration Impact, 8/1/24]

• • It is illegal for noncitizens to make a false claim of citizenship on a voter registration form and to vote in federal elections. As noted by Sean Morales-Doyle, director of the Brennan Center Voting Rights Program at New York University’s school of law, “making a false claim of citizenship on a voter registration form is a federal criminal offense that carries steep penalties, including deportation.” Democracy Docket, [7/9/24; NPR, 4/12/24; PolitiFact, 5/20/24]

• ## Oregon, Arizona, and Ohio recently reported issues that apparently registered some noncitizens to vote

• • In Oregon, an oversight with the state's automatic voter registration system allowed 306 noncitizens to be registered — with two casting ballots since 2021. According to the Oregon Department of Transportation, the error occurred as part of a “data entry issue” with driver's license applications after state law allowed noncitizens to obtain a license in 2019. The Associated Press, [9/16/24; Oregon Post Beacon, 9/13/24]

• • Arizona officials are addressing a “clerical error” where nearly 100,000 registered voters — most of whom are legitimate voters — were mistakenly recorded as having provided documentation proving their citizenship. Such documentation is only required in Arizona to be eligible to vote in state and local elections and would not impact anyone’s ability to vote in the 2024 presidential election. According to the Arizona secretary of state, the error is limited to individuals who were issued a license before October 1996. The Washington Post reports that according to state officials, the affected voters “skewed Republican, and nearly all of them appeared to be citizens.” NPR, [9/17/24; CNN, 9/17/24, 9/20/24; The Washington Post, 9/28/24]

• • In Ohio, a routine audit of voter rolls identified a possible few hundred individuals — a small fraction of the state’s electorate — who either registered to vote or cast a ballot despite being noncitizens. CNN explains: “In a state with about 8 million registered voters, a recent review of Ohio’s voter rolls resulted in the removal of 154,995 abandoned or inactive voter registrations. A far smaller number, 597, have been referred by Secretary of State Frank LaRose to the state’s attorney general for ‘further review and potential prosecution’ for possibly registering to vote as a noncitizen. However, an even smaller number, 138, ‘appear to have cast a ballot in an Ohio election.’” CNN, [9/12/24; The Associated Press, 8/21/24; Ohio Capital Journal, 9/14/24]

• ## Republicans are using claims of noncitizen voting to push for voter roll purges, disenfranchising citizens and legitimate voters

• • Republican officials in several states have launched investigations into potential cases of noncitizens being registered. In Alabama, 3,200 people were identified by the secretary of state as part of an initiative to identify noncitizen voters. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced that “over 6,500 potential noncitizens” were removed from the state's voter rolls. NPR, [8/30/24; Texas Monthly, 9/18/24]

• • Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, the Trump campaign and its allies have filed lawsuits in seven states preemptively claiming that the election will be affected by noncitizen voting. According to Reuters, the lawsuits filed in Michigan, Pennsylvania, Kansas, and Texas alleged that the states’ automatic voter registration program was a partisan attempt to register Democrats. A lawsuit filed by the Republican National Committee and North Carolina GOP alleges that the state “allowed over 225,000 people to register to vote” without proper citizenship documentation. In Nevada, the Trump campaign, state GOP, and RNC filed a lawsuit alleging that the secretary of state has improperly managed voter rolls allowing noncitizens to be registered. Reuters, [9/19/24; Democracy Docket, 8/26/24; Nevada Independent, 9/15/24]

• • Republican-led purges of active voter rolls have disenfranchised naturalized citizens who are eligible to vote across the country. In 2023, Democrats in Virginia called for an investigation after thousands of voters were mistakenly removed from state voter rolls. Several individuals who were mistakenly removed from Alabama’s voter roll in 2024 have been left with little recourse, and over 14,000 registered voters in Tennessee received letters stating they had to prove citizenship under threat of felony charges. Ahead of his successful 2018 gubernatorial campaign, Georgia Secretary of State Brian Kemp removed over 560,000 voters from the state roll over supposed “inactivity,” but a separate investigation found that 107,000 of them were still eligible to vote. NPR, [11/1/23, 8/30/24; Newsweek, 11/1/23; American Public Media, 10/29/19]

• ## Right-wing media figures have exploited the recently reported errors, state audits, and Republican lawsuits to fearmonger about noncitizens voting en masse and accuse Democrats of trying to cheat in elections

• • The New York Post amplified a Republican lawsuit to claim that noncitizens voting could “tip the presidential race in Nevada.” The article also uncritically parrots the claim from a Trump campaign lawsuit that “an estimated 3,700+ [noncitizens] will cast a ballot in November’s presidential election,” and directly connects the suit to right-wing intentions of “purging rolls,” specifically citing the “close results” of recent state elections. New York Post, [9/13/24]

• • Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose appeared on Steve Bannon’s War Room to celebrate removing “over 600 noncitizens on the voter rolls,” admitting “that’s a small number out of 8 million” voters registered in the state. Real America’s Voice, *War Room*, [9/10/24]

• • In an article discussing a forthcoming audit of Pennsylvania’s voter roll, The Federalist embedded a social media post claiming the Commonwealth's automatic voter registration system was implemented so Democrats “can register the illegals to vote.” The Federalist, [9/16/24]

• • Reacting to reports of “Nearly 100,000 Swing State Voters” potentially receiving the wrong ballots in Arizona, right-wing social media figure Phillip Buchanan, known online as “Catturd,” claimed that “Democrats are already cheating in every way possible.” Twitter/X, [9/19/24; Daily Dot, 11/17/23]

• • Sharing a post about the Nevada lawsuit, Buchanan stated, “All Democrats do is cheat.” Twitter/X, [9/20/24]

• • Conservative commentator Steve Guest claimed that Oregon’s clerical error “was not a ‘mistake’” but rather is “a feature of their bad policies.” In a second post, Guest claimed that “the ‘mistakes’ happen in the same direction seemingly all of the time. A Democrat state registers a bunch of non citizens to vote.” Twitter/X, [9/14/24, 9/24/24]

• • Conservative author and radio host Bo Snerdley speculated that the Oregon DMV may have registered additional noncitizens, claiming “300 is what they are admitting to. Who knows if that's real or not.” Twitter/X, [9/14/24]

• • The Federalist connected a single case of a noncitizen charged for voting in Iowa to the supposed “growing threat of noncitizen voting, particularly in light of the border crisis.” The article fearmongered “that the federal government only prosecuted 35 cases of illegal aliens voting in U.S. elections in 21 years, despite the fact that untold millions have poured across the southern border at the same time,” claiming “that at least tens-of-thousands had been illegally registered to vote.” The Federalist, [9/25/24]

• • Infowars host Alex Jones claimed that the Arizona Supreme Court’s ruling “proves Arizona was stolen in 2020. That means Trump won and is the real president.” Twitter/X, [9/21/24]

• • A segment on Fox News’ America Reports discussing voter roll purges featured Chad Ennis, the vice president of election denial organization the Honest Elections Project, who stated that noncitizen voting “certainly probably has” impacted a U.S. election, calling it “silly” to suggest otherwise. Fox News, *America Reports*, [9/6/24; Media Matters, 10/27/22]

• • Fox Business anchor Maria Bartiromo said that “a lot of Republicans are saying illegals coming from the open border are being given driver's licenses and are wanting to get registered to vote.” Bartiromo also suggested that the Biden administration could be responsible for the errors in Oregon and other states, asking, “Hasn't the Biden administration been very clear that it's a whole-of-government plan to get every agency involved in the election?” Fox Business, *Mornings with Maria*, [9/18/24]

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mma 7 24

MAGA figures are suddenly afraid that Trump will lose and are looking for someone to blame.

On July 30, Project 2025 Director Paul Dans suddenly stepped down, even after promoting his work on War Room earlier in the day. The Trump campaign, in a memo signed by senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, celebrated, even claiming they would welcome Project 2025’s demise.

But outside of the right-wing bubble, the PR move seems to have failed in its attempt to distance Trump from Project 2025.

As New York Times reporter Jonathan Swan noted, the Trump campaign reportedly has no transition plan — even compared to 2016 — and will need to rely on Project 2025 for staffing should he prevail in the election this fall. (This is also a reason why Project 2025 partner positions matter as much as what is in the official Project 2025 book: These are the people who would be in a position of power for staffing the federal government, especially if Trump follows through on threats to lay off thousands of federal civil servants.)

Other journalists and analysts reported similarly.

Project 2025 is the policy platform and staffing database organized by the Heritage Foundation for the next Republican presidential administration. The extreme policies have proved to be very unpopular with the American people, and this unpopularity seemingly led the Trump campaign to force Dans to resign.

The situation was already a tinderbox since Vice President Kamala Harris became the Democrats' likely presidential nominee, replacing President Joe Biden, since Trump’s campaign was reportedly designed to face Biden instead of Harris; switching MAGA’s messaging on a dime was going to be no easy task.

Before Harris took the reins, Trump had complained about Project 2025, even as Project 2025 contributors were invited to speak at the Republican National Convention, a key Project 2025 figure was appointed to the RNC’s platform committee, and Trump himself named the elected official perhaps most closely tied to Project 2025 as his new vice presidential nominee.

Inside the MAGA bubble, recriminations and blame are growing as Trump’s electoral position apparently grows weaker.

Nick Fuentes, the white nationalist, Holocaust denier, and groyper leader who dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in 2022, has been railing at LaCivita for a while. Just days ago, Fuentes bragged that his audience is more loyal to him than it is to Trump and said that he would not vote in 2024 because the people closest to Trump, like LaCivita and Wiles, are not loyal to America First ideals.

Wiles and LaCivita’s decision to turn on Project 2025 so publicly has only made this wound larger.

Pizzagate conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich jumped in, writing that Project 2025 people were “loyal to the end” and that LaCivita is “preparing a coup against Trump.”

MAGA figures the Hodgetwins wrote that they don’t trust LaCivita and Wiles and that Trump needs “OG loyalists” to win the election.

Fuentes posted about the LaCivita/Wiles statement, and in replies and quotes, groypers directed rage against the pair. Groyper-aligned figure Tyler Russell reacted on a stream to Dans’ resignation, saying Fuentes was correct and LaCivita “needs to be the first person in jail.” He also added, “Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita — fuck both of you.”

White nationalist Vincent James Foxx also wrote that “Trump disavowing Project 2025 should be concerning because he's literally disavowing what he ran on in 2016.”

Daily Wire host Matt Walsh implored the Trump campaign to stop trying to disavow Project 2025.

Fox contributor Mollie Hemingway claimed that the Trump campaign was bowing to “left wing media lies.”

Noted extremist Pedro Gonzalez also criticized the decision.

This is not to say that all of MAGA is on the side of Project 2025 here. MAGA thought leader Catturd railed against the project, writing, “The Heritage Foundation doesn’t get to write this dumb 2025 project and get to pretend it’s Trump’s idea or something we real citizens (grassroots Trump supporters) support. Seriously, who in TF do these narcissists think they are speaking for us and Trump?”

Trump meme team leader Brenden Dilley simply wrote, “Fuck Heritage. Right in the ass.” (Bannon acolyte Grace Chong in turn harshly criticized Dilley.)

This is all quite reminiscent of 2016, when frequent turmoil roiled the Trump campaign, and he on a few occasions switched who was in charge, eventually settling on Steve Bannon less than 90 days before the election. Whatever solution Trump lands on this time will have to be different: Bannon is currently in federal prison.

7 24

Catturd (born September 18, 1964) is the online identity of right-wing^[1][2][3][4] American Twitter shitposter and Internet troll Phillip Buchanan.^{[5][6][7][8][9}] The account is known for its scatological humor, as well as spreading conspiracy theories and disinformation.^[10][11] Buchanan lives in Wewahitchka, Florida, on a "ranch in the middle of nowhere".^[6][12][13]

Personal life

Buchanan was born on September 18, 1964.^[14] He is thrice-divorced. He married his first wife, whom he met at a gym when she was 19 and he was in his early twenties, in September 1986. The marriage was annulled in 1988. By 1991, Buchanan had married and divorced another woman. His third marriage happened a few years later, while he was working at a post office. They parted in 1998 and divorced in 2002.^[12]

For much of Buchanan's life, he has been a musician.^[15] He met his third wife while he was perusing music.^[12] Later in life, however, he started getting arthritis in his hands from playing the guitar for so many years.^[15]

Buchanan said he served in the US Army. In the 1990s, he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy, and later fronted a band in Tallahassee, Florida.^[12]

Online activity

In the 2010s, Buchanan began posting on Disqus under stories from websites such as Breitbart News.^[12][dubious ^– ^discuss] The Twitter handle @catturd had been taken in 2010, and Catturd denied being the poster of the suspended account @CATTURD1. @catturd2 was created in September 2018, receiving retweets from Jack Posobiec. Over a year later, his account had over 100,000 followers, and half a million by the end of 2020. Donald Trump retweeted Catturd seven times.^[12] Media Matters for America accused Buchanan of violating Twitter's platform manipulation policy, attempting to boost hashtags into the trending topics list.^[3]

He says he's "always been a political junkie", and "Twitter gives me an artistic outlet" after he developed arthritis. Internet fame has been fulfilling and encouraging for Buchanan.^[15]

When Elon Musk acquired Twitter, Buchanan was enthusiastic about the purchase, and the two had previously replied to each other on the platform.^[16][17] Buchanan praised Musk for plans to scale back Twitter's content moderation,^[18] but said his account remained shadowbanned even after the purchase. Musk reached out personally to provide support.^[19][20] Later on, Buchanan tweeted that he was "100% wrong about [Elon Musk] changing Twitter."^[21][22][23] In March 2023, leaked internal documents from Twitter revealed that Catturd was among a handful of accounts having their reach artificially inflated by Twitter under Musk.^[24][25]

The same month, Buchanan conducted a Twitter poll of a hypothetical 2024 Republican presidential primary between Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis, showing Trump winning 69%. This poll was presented by Trump at a rally and by Trump-affiliated super PAC MAGA Inc. on Twitter.^[10]

References

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RESEARCH/STUDY

Biden suspended his campaign and right-wing media responded with conspiracy theories

Conservatives demanded proof the president was still alive, claimed Biden was a “hostage” in a “soft coup,” and even suggested his decision was part of an “inside job” to assassinate Trump

WRITTEN BY JACK WINSTANLEY

PUBLISHED 07/26/24

Following President Joe Biden’s announcement that he was suspending his 2024 reelection campaign, right-wing media figures pushed wild conspiracy theories alleging that the president did not make the decision himself or that it was a backup plan to defeat Donald Trump after the failed assassination attempt against the former president. Conservative media figures repeatedly asked for “proof of life,” claimed Biden was being held “hostage,” and even suggested that Biden's withdrawal letter was forged.

• ## President Joe Biden suspended his reelection campaign
• • On June 21, Biden announced that he would no longer seek reelection and would serve out the remainder of his term. Shortly after sharing a letter announcing that he was dropping out of the race, Biden endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris to be the Democratic nominee. NBC News, [7/21/24]

• • Biden gave an Oval Office Address about his decision to end his reelection campaign on July 24 — his first public address since announcing the decision while recovering from COVID-19. Biden returned to the White House on July 23 after spending time recovering at his residence in Delaware. News of the president's illness added fuel to the ongoing conversation about his age and fitness for office. NPR, [7/24/24; The Associated Press, 7/22/24; CNN, 7/18/24]

• ## Right-wing media figures speculated that the withdrawal letter signaled that Biden had actually died
• • On Infowars, Alex Jones asked, “Did they kill Biden?” after showing a printed copy of Biden's announcement letter. He added that “that’s a very serious question in this climate that you’ve got to ask,” then likened the situation to the movie Weekend at Bernie’s. Infowars, *The Alex Jones Show*, [7/22/24]
  • The following day, Jones doubled down and claimed that Biden was “basically being held inside that Delaware encampment while the deep state goes around and secures who’ll be in what position.” He also stated that Biden “sounded like he’s on death’s doorstep, and/or it was AI or something,” while calling into an event after contracting COVID and that “most people think he’s dead.” Infowars, *The Alex Jones Show*, [7/23/24]
  • Fox News anchor Dana Perino asked for “proof of life” while discussing Biden’s withdrawal. She explained, “You can forgive people for wondering if we are living Weekend at Bernie's right now.” Fox News, *Fox News Central*, [7/21/24]
  • Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk asked, “Can we get a proof of life of Joe Biden?” while reacting to the announcement of his withdrawal. Kirk went on to imply that Biden was removed from the campaign, calling the situation a “soft coup.” Real America’s Voice, *The Charlie Kirk Show*, [7/22/24]
  • Following Biden’s announcement, conspiracy theorist Stew Peters posted videos of the president at public events, adding, “The real question is how long has Joe Biden been dead?” Twitter/X, [7/22/24; Media Matters, 3/13/23]

* Sean Davis, CEO and co-founder of conservative outlet The Federalist, commented that Biden has “made no public appearance” since he dropped out of the race, adding, “Also: do we have any evidence Biden is even alive right now?” His post then claimed, “This is banana republic insanity.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

• • Former Trump lawyer and podcast host Jenna Ellis seemingly suggested that Biden had died, stating, “Americans deserve proof of life for our current President.” Twitter/X, [7/22/24]

• • Pro-Trump lawyer Harmeet Dillon asked in a social media post, “Would anyone else here like to know the whereabouts and current health status of President Biden?” Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

• • An article by The Federalist stated that Biden “is supposedly dealing with a Covid infection, has yet to be seen alive.” The article added, “If Joe Biden is coherent enough to govern a global superpower for another six months, he can tell Americans about his decision to their faces.” The Federalist, [7/22/24]

• ## Some right-wing media figures claimed that Biden's withdrawal letter was forged or even evidence of a “coup”
• • Trump ally Laura Loomer claimed “Biden didn’t even write this letter” and postulated that “the signature is likely forged on the letter as well.” She also claimed that Democrats “are pretending to be Joe Biden whose corpse is literally rotting away inside the White House,” and that he “is too cognitively damaged to write a letter or comprehend what is going on.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24; Media Matters, 2/1/24]

• • On his Rumble livestream, Donald Trump Jr. speculated that Biden had been pressured into dropping out of the race, asking, “What did they bribe him with? What did they promise? Or perhaps more likely, what did they threaten him with?” Rumble, *Triggered with Donald Trump Jr.*, [7/22/24]

• • Right-wing podcast host Benny Johnson claimed that portions of the letter showed that Biden is “a hostage right now” and that he “did not want to write this.” YouTube, *The Benny Johnson Show*, [7/21/24]

• • Right-wing commentator Mike Crispi claimed of the letter that Biden “didn’t write a word of it” and “doesn’t realize what was written for him.” Crispi also claimed that Biden did not get 81 million votes in 2020, saying, “The ‘81 million votes’ lie will be the greatest scam in the history of our country.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24; USA Today, 12/19/23]

• • Right-wing personality Alex Lorusso (known online as ALX) shared Biden’s announcement and several pictures of Biden’s signature, asking, “Can anyone find another example of Joe Biden underlining his signature?” Twitter/X, [7/21/24; Media Matters, 11/22/22]

• • Infowars host Owen Shroyer shared a graphic comparing Biden’s signature from the announcement with a number of executive orders, noting the announcement was “blatant criminal forgery.” Shroyer also claimed that the withdrawal announcement “was a legit coup” and asked “why no word from Biden himself?” Twitter/X, [7/22/24]

• • John Sabal (known online as “QAnon John”) claimed in a social media post that “we IN FACT lived through a COUP” and that “NEVER before has there been a time where a Sitting President steps down & leaves nothing but a note.” He also shared a graphic comparing Biden’s signature from the announcement letter with several executive orders, adding, “One more thing…Biden did NOT sign that letter.” Gab, [7/22/24; Business Insider, 10/16/20]

• • Right-wing social media personality Amuse also cast doubt on the authenticity of the announcement, asking, “Why didn’t Biden use official stationary? Why does Biden’s signature look forged? Where is Joe?” Twitter/X, [7/22/24]

• • Former Fox News producer Kyle Becker said the signature was “suspect” because Biden’s name was underlined and said the “letter not on official letterhead.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

• • BlazeTV host Sara Gonzalez compared a previous signature from Biden with the signature on the announcement letter, adding, “Did Joe really sign this?” Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

• ## Some right-wing media figures speculated that the timing of Biden’s withdrawal indicated it was somehow connected to the attempted assassination of Trump

• • The Federalist’s Sean Davis: “Biden didn’t drop out of the race until after the attempts to imprison and assassinate Donald Trump failed. Do you think that is coincidence?” Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

• • Replying to Biden’s announcement, Trump ally Laura Loomer stated, “Now you all see why they tried to assassinate Donald Trump. This was all planned.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

• • Loomer also claimed, “The only reason @JoeBiden is dropping out today is because his administration plotted an assassination of Donald Trump and missed.” Loomer continued: “It’s a lot easier to drop out over ‘peer pressure’ and an illness than to be forced to resign once the American people learn all about how the Biden admin plotted to put a bullet in Donald Trump’s head. This is why he dropped out the day before the Secret Service Director Kim Cheatle was supposed to testify tomorrow in front of Congress. Now the media will be distracted. The cover up of the Biden admin’s and Deep State’s plot to assassinate Donald Trump is in full swing now. We can’t let them get away with this.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

• • Loomer also posted: “I said @JoeBiden would get diagnosed with an illness and then drop out right before @SecretService Director Kim Cheatle was set to testify before Congress about the inside job plot to assassinate President Trump.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

• • Pro-Trump social media personality Phillip Buchanan, known online as Catturd: “Joe dropped out because Democrats were desperate to change the Trump surging news cycle and the truth coming out about the obvious inside job assassination attempt.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24; Daily Dot, 7/25/23]

• • Right-wing commentator Bill Mitchell, who has repeatedly pushed conspiracy theories, posted, “Biden was waiting to see if the Trump assassination succeeded. When it failed, he was done.” Twitter/X, [7/21/24; Media Matters, 6/27/24]

• • Right-wing figure Paul Ingrassia: “The Deep State’s agenda to stop Trump: 1. Beat him in the polls = failed. 2. Convict and jail him = failed. 3. Assassinate him = failed. 4. Replace Biden = about to fail. Crazy times we’re living in. There’s no stopping President Trump!”Twitter/X, [7/21/24]

===

https://www.vice.com/en/article/88qwbx/far-right-conspiracy-theory-wants-you-to-think-ukraine-war-staged

no lnx

david Gilbert @ Vice News: The Far Right Wants You to Think Ukraine’s War Is Staged: ‘It Is Clearly a Psyop.’

a year after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, tens of thousands of civilians have been murdered, tens of millions of Ukrainians are displaced, and billions of dollars in damage have been inflicted on homes and buildings across the country—and the American far right is still pushing the narrative that the war in Ukraine is fake.

Coinciding with the one year anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, conspiracists, far-right influencers, and trolls have made a coordinated effort to push the conspiracy theory that the entire conflict in Ukraine has been staged.

The narrative that the war was fake first emerged in the early days of the invasion, and one of the key pieces of “evidence” used by those spreading the disinformation was a video they claimed showed “fake bodies” in body bags.

The video, which shows the body bags moving in the background, was in fact taken at a climate change protest in Austria about a month before Russia invaded Ukraine. Over the weekend, it was once again shared as “evidence” that the mainstream media was lying about the war.

The most popular post came from an anonymous right-wing Twitter account called Amuse, which shared the video with the comment: “Stop Moving - You’re Supposed to be Dead! Psyop?”

The tweet currently has been viewed over 3.9 million times and been liked over 45,000 times.

When it was pointed out that the video was not taken in Ukraine, the account holder responded: “Someone told me it is some sort of crazy four dimensional misinformation—video might be from Austria. Not sure who is pushing it - Ukraine or Russia. Without embedded journalists we’ve got this mess.” They later added: “No one seems to know who is responsible but it is clearly a Psyop.”

The same video was shared widely across Facebook and Twitter in recent days.

At the same time, Catturd, a hugely influential MAGA shitposter favored by Elon Musk, posted a screen on Twitter that questioned the reality of the war in Ukraine because he apparently has not seen any footage from the war front.

“We get no footage, no detailed updates, no graphs explaining how the war is going, who has control of what land,” Catturd wrote. “All we get is Biden fake air raid sirens and one famous actor or politician a day happily prancing around Kiev with Zelenskyy with no helmets or body protection offering him 100s of billion of dollars.”

Catturd’s tweet has been viewed over 10.4 million times, despite Twitter’s fact-checking community appending a note to the post saying: “Footage and analysis of the Russian war on Ukraine from multiple media sources including reporters embedded with Ukrainian troops is and has been available.”

On Truth Social, disgraced former national security adviser Michael Flynn endorsed Catturd’s claims,writing: “What Catturd said, and I double dare anyone to say he is wrong.”

Kyle Becker, a far-right commentator who has in the past worked for Fox News and Tim Pool’s podcast, also shared the claim that there was no footage available of what’s likely the most-documented war in human history.

“I am sick and tired of the lack of footage of the Ukraine war. I worked in cable news. I am initiated. If it bleeds, it leads. Where is the war footage? Where are the Pulitzer Prize winning photos? This smacks of a scam and the American people are fed up,” Becker tweeted.

Meanwhile Stew Peters, a far-right podcaster and COVID conspiracist, added to the conversation by posting a video from the Ukrainian government that shows how the country has been working to fix some of the damage inflicted by the war over the last year.

According to Peters, the video is not a positive story about the resilience of the Ukrainian people, but proof the war is “100% fake” and that the damage was never inflicted in the first place. 

Peters spent the weekend pushing the narrative that the media and governments around the world are lying about the war.

“The world is a stage,” Peters tweeted on Sunday. “It’s ALL fake. When enough people realize what has been done to them, and they’re ready to admit it, there will be NOWHERE safe for these criminals to hide.”

One other strand to the conspiracy about the war in Ukraine being fake is a renewed push to surface videos from the former life of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as a comic actor and using it to claim he is merely playing the role of a head of state.

One of the most prominent people sharing this claim in recent days was Donald Trump Jr. who shared a clip of Zelensky dancing in high heels and leather from a 2014 parody video with the comment:

“Just so we understand, this is the leader of the left’s new religion, Ukraine. He replaced Lord Fauci who replaced goddess Greta as the leader of the leftist lunacy movement. Give him all of your money forever it doesn’t matter how much or for what… the Gods have spoken!”

The tweet has racked up almost 9 million views in the space of just 24 hours.

TAGGED:

UKRAINE DISINFORMATION CATTURD STEW PETERS FAR RIGHT TWITTER WORLD NEWS

===

===

https://www.mediamatters.org/twitter/elon-musk-continues-cater-far-right-twitter-accounts-promoting-bigotry-extremism-and

no lnx many twts

elon Musk continues to cater to far-right Twitter accounts promoting bigotry, extremism, and misinformation

WRITTEN BY CHARIS HOARD, AUDREY MCCABE & RUBY SEAVEY

PUBLISHED 12/15/22

Twitter’s new CEO Elon Musk has spent the first month and a half of his tenure catering to the far-right by reinstating and interacting with right-wing figures responsible for spreading bigotry and misinformation. Musk engaged with these types of accounts at least 170 times between October 27 and December 13, according to a Media Matters review.

Since gaining control of the platform on October 27, Musk has advanced his vision of Twitter becoming the “digital town square” by unilaterally reinstating over a dozen high-profile right-wing accounts and granting other previously suspended accounts that had spread misinformation “amnesty.”

A month and a half of Musk at the helm of Twitter has also helped conspiracy theorists and toxic posters spread hateful or dangerous rhetoric. Musk himself has even used the platform to amplify multiple conspiracy theories and has employed common QAnon tactics like baselessly accusing a former Twitter executive of promoting pedophilia. Most recently, he tweeted a common QAnon phrase that has given QAnon figures a reason to believe that Musk potentially supports the conspiracy theory.

Media Matters previously found that Musk catered to the far-right by interacting with accounts known to push misinformation and bigotry at least 24 times in the first days of owning Twitter. In an updated review, Media Matters has found that Musk has continued to entertain these types of accounts, engaging with them at least 170 times between October 27 and December 13.

From decrying “wokeism” to sharing right-wing talking points about U.S. immigration policy, below are some examples of Musk interacting with known bad actors.

Musk criticized COVID-19 mitigation efforts and praised an anti-vaccine misinformer

Musk expressed support and admiration for anti-vaccine figure Dr. Jay Bhattacharya and his work. In a four-part thread, Bhattacharya praised Musk for “promis[ing] access to help find out” why he was placed “on the blacklist on the first day” he joined Twitter, in August 2021. Musk responded, “Thank you for your rigorous adherence to science.”

In a thread mocking people concerned about COVID-19, Musk interacted with right-wing troll account Catturdand implicitly criticized pandemic lockdowns.

Musk and Catturd mocking COVID mitigation efforts

Musk decried “wokeism,” pushed conspiracy theories, andcriticized “the culture war” when interacting with right-wing accounts

After Musk tweeted an emoji of a bunny, an explicit nod to QAnon and far-right communities, he tweeted “Lmaooo” at a response from conservative stand-up comedians the “Hodgetwins” mocking a concerned response. Right-wing personality Alex Lorusso –  known as ALX – joined in and left a similarly sarcastic tweet, to which Musk responded, “Bunny emojis are hate speech!!”

Musk responding to the Hodetwins and ALX on Twitter making fun of people concerned that Musk tweeted a QAnon reference

Musk agreed with the Hodgetwins and another user calling for people to “speak out” against wokeism. Musk tweeted, “The woke mind virus is either defeated or nothing else matters,” to which the Hodgetwins commented, “Our future depends on more and more people waking up and speaking out on what’s happening to society. Stop being silent!” Another user added that public figures need to “take an open stand against wokism,” and Musk responded with “Yes.”

Musk expressed support for far-right commentator Ian Miles Cheong’s comment alleging that the media is suppressing “criticism of wokeness.” Musk originally asked, “What do you think of the culture war?” and agreed with Cheong’s response: “A single ideology dominates and silences the rest, branding everything it disapproves of as ‘violence’ and a ‘threat to democracy.’ Criticism of wokeness is ‘stochastic terrorism.’ Only one narrative is allowed to prevail and it is promoted by the media. All dissent is quashed.”

After Musk tweeted a video of shirts saying “#StayWoke” that were found in a closet at Twitter’s headquarters, he agreed with comments made by right-wing figures who mocked or criticized the Black Lives Matter movement. Cheong responded to this thread, “Black Lives Matter (now exposed as a scam, they bought millions of dollars in property and never gave back to the community) was built on a lie,” to which Musk said, “Troublesome.” 

Right-wing podcast host Chase Geiser also responded to Musk’s initial video, saying, “You officially bought the world’s largest collection of #StayWoke merch.” Musk responded back to Geiser with two laughing emojis and “worth it.”

Far-right grifter Andy Ngo joined in on the thread, saying, “‘Hands up, don’t shoot’ is one of the biggest hoaxes to come from the American left in the last decade. That big lie has inspired many to become radicalized and militant.” Musk responded, “True.”

Engaging with right-wing accounts, Musk amplified attacks against former Twitter employees and commented on alleged content moderation decision from before his tenure

Musk agreed with election denier Dinesh D’Souza's baseless claim that Twitter before Musk’s leadership banned only conservative accounts. Musk told D’Souza he was “correct” after he tweeted, “We don’t hear much about Democrats and leftists being let back on Twitter. Why? Because they were never kicked off in the first place. Their lies and misinformation simply escaped all scrutiny. Censorship has been deployed as a one-way operation against conservatives.”

In a thread initiated by Tim Young, contributor for far-right nationalist outlet American Greatness, Musk provided context to his decision to reinstate former President Donald Trump’s account. Young tweeted that “the left can’t handle” Trump being back on Twitter. Musk responded to this tweet by saying the reinstatement was intended to “correct a grave mistake in banning his account” and sharing that he “reluctantly” voted for Biden over Trump. In the same thread, a MAGA account asked Musk if he would “support Ron DeSantis in 2024.” Musk said, “Yes,” before noting that “Twitter as a platform must be fair to all.”

Musk compounded the viral hate account Libs of TikTok's attack against a former Twitter employee.Libs of TikTok posted screenshots of a former Twitter employee’s tweets criticizing Musk for laying off Twitter’s infrastructure team. Musk responded to the tweet, saying, “A tragic case of adult onset Tourette’s.”

Musk interacted with white nationalist Paul Ramsey and Andy Ngo in a thread about Antifa accounts on Twitter.Ramsey tweeted, “Twitter is reportedly nuking pedo accounts. This is eliminating much of Antifa Twitter.” In response, Musk expressed his dedication to “removing child exploitation.” In the same thread, Musk responded twice to Ngo after Ngo claimed Antifa uses Twitter to organize violence.

Musk amplified QAnon-spouting conspiracy theorist and Fox News contributor Lara Logan's attack against former Twitter Trust and Safety Council member Anne Collier.

Musk responded to Lara Logan tweet agreeing that Anne Collier should be held accountable

Musk interjected in Twitter threads about U.S. political issues initiated by right-wing accounts

Musk interacted with Fox News reporter Bill Melugin, who reports on and promotes fearmongering around southern border immigration. Melugin tweeted about a migrant caravan passing through El Paso, Texas, claiming it was “the largest single group we have ever seen,” to which Musk responded, “Wow.”

Musk responded to Melugin andprovocateur Kim Dotcom about people crossing the U.S. southern border. After Melugin tweeted a video of migrants crossing the southern border allegedly without authorization, Musk responded twice, saying, “Seems bizarre that it’s so easy enter illegally, but so hard to get a legal work visa.” After Kim Dotcom joined the conversation, sharing an article about “Dems voter farming strategy,” Musk responded, “Behavior follows the incentives for political power.” 

Musk interacted with right-wing satirical outlet The Babylon Bee’s account multiple times, once about Hunter Biden and another about the 2022 midterm elections. Both times he agreed with the right-wing outlet and commented with laughing emojis.

Musk responded to a tweet from failed Arizona gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake even though it contained election misinformation. Lake asked Musk why Twitter was “still suppressing election criticism & news,” along with a screenshot of a right-wing reporter’s baseless claims of election fraud. Musk said, “Reasonable criticism of elections and judicial challenges are, of course, lawful. That seems to be the case here. Clear incitement to violence will result in suspension and significant deception should result in a @CommunityNotes correction.”

Musk responding to kari Lake tweet containing election misinformation

Musk agreed with right-wing attacks on mainstream media

Musk expressed support for Ian Miles Cheong's belief that mainstream media outlets are actively upset about Twitter’s new direction under Musk’s leadership. Musk agreed with Cheong's claims that the “establishment media is angry” because Twitter no longer controls “the establishment and its activist allies,” and because the public “can now openly question the narrative."

Musk agreed with Tim Young that CBS – and the mainstream media more generally – is biased.Young called CBS biased for briefly not engaging on Twitter, to which Musk said, “So you say ‘mainstream media’ is biased? Hmm, will have to fact-check that with mainstream media. Nope, they say everything is cool!”

Musk agreed with Breitbart alum Raheem J. Kassam’s claim that mainstream media are intent on “destroying” Twitter. Kassam tweeted that mainstream media is engaging in a “co-ordinated attempt to destroy Twitter,” and Musk responded, “They just can’t stop writing about Twitter, which is driving usage through roof lmao.”

Musk and Cheong exchanged similar views on supposed censorship by the mainstream media. On November 11, Musk tweeted, “As Twitter pursues the goal of elevating citizen journalism, media elite will try everything to stop that from happening.” Cheong replied, “The media elite wants a monopoly on the truth, and citizen journalism threatens their narrative. Can’t have that, so they bully corporations and social media companies into doing their censoring for them by calling it all ‘disinformation.’” Musk replied, “True.”

Musk interacted with right-wing accounts that praised the publication of the Twitter Files

Musk agreed with the Hodgetwins’ baseless claim that the media covered up the Twitter files. After part of the Twitter Files were published, the Hodgetwins claimed the “media is silent” about “one of the biggest political scandals in modern American history” because “the damn media was in on the scandal.” Musk responded with a bullseye emoji.

Musk interacted with Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton multiple times about the Twitter files. Musk agreed with Fitton that the Twitter Files provided “damning evidence” that the platform censored Trump leading up to the 2020 election and said more information was “coming soon” about Twitter’s treatment of former President Donald Trump.

Musk amplified attacks launched against former Twitter executive Yoel Rothby right-wing commentator Glenn Greenwald. In response to a tweet revealing information about how Twitter chose to label information about the 2020 election, Greenwald attacked Roth and “his little censorship minions,” claiming they turned Twitter into a “full-on Democratic Party activist machine” to interfere in the 2020 presidential election. Musk agreed, saying “...there is no question that Twitter operated as a Democratic Party activist machine.”

Musk endorsed ALX’s opinion that the public is entitled to know how Twitter made previous content moderation decisions.

Musk saying Twitter files are needed to "restore public trust"responding to a tweet from ALX

===

===

wapo

Democracy Dies in Darkness

How Trump’s allies amplify his Truth Social messages to the wider world

By Sarah Ellison and

Clara Ence Morse

May 8, 2024

On the second day of his civil fraud trial in New York last fall, Donald Trump posted a photo of a young woman, Allison Greenfield, standing next to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.). Trump claimed falsely that she was “Schumer’s girlfriend” and was “running this case against me.”

Donald Trump's Truth Social profile picture

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

Schumer’s girlfriend, Alison R. Greenfield, is running this case against me. How disgraceful! This case should be dismissed immediately!! https://www.instagram.com/greenfield4civilcourt/A photo of Allison Greenfield standing next to New York senator Charles E. Schumer displayed as a silhouette.The Washington Post is not displaying this image.

October 3, 2023 at 6:56 p.m.

Trump’s post about Greenfield, the principal law clerk for New York Supreme Court Justice Arthur Engoron, received only around 1,400 shares, modest activity for a former president whose Twitter account once had nearly 90 million followers.

Engoron, who oversaw the trial, ordered Trump to take down the post, which he did the same day. But the message was already out. The next day, insults directed at Greenfield flooded right-wing podcasts and social media.

X/Twitter

alt text

Laura Loomer

LauraLoomer

President Trump posted this on Truth Social. Judge Arthur Engoron’s Principal Law Clerk Allison Greenfield appears to be a Democrat political operative who is collaborating with @SenSchumer who has openly proclaimed his desire to “get Trump” and see him jailed. WITCH HUNT

October 3, 2023 at 3:13 p.m.

TimCast podcast

|

October 4, 2023

“These people have an agenda. They have had a bias, obvious bias against Donald Trump from day one.”

— Tim Pool

The Michael Knowles Show podcast

|

October 4, 2023

“Trump took a swipe at one of the judge's staff members and pointed out that she's a huge lib, Alison Greenfield. She's a big lib. She's a big Democrat.”

— Michael Knowles

Over the next two months, dozens of articles focused on Greenfield’s role. Conservative media personalities such as Laura Loomer and the cable TV news channel Newsmax kept the spotlight on the clerk by frequently repeating Trump’s complaints.

Breitbart

|

November 3, 2023

A Breitbart headline reading: Conniption in Court: Gasps as Breitbart Exposé on Trump New York Judge’s Clerk Takes Center Stage

NewsMax

|

November 3, 2023

A NewsMax headline reading: Judge Blasts Trump Lawyers for Attacking Staff

NewsMax

|

November 3, 2023

New York Post

|

November 15, 2023

A New York Post headline reading: Trump seeks mistrial in 'tainted' $250M civil fraud case — citing judge's 'overwhelming' bias

The Epoch Times

|

December 7, 2023

A The Epoch Times headline reading: NY Judge Argues Against Trump Suit, Says Relationships Between Judge and Staff 'Sacrosanct'

With the attention from Trump’s backers came threats and abuse — a torrent that compelled Greenfield to tighten security at home and avoid public transportation.

When transcribed, the harassing voice-mail messages left for Greenfield covered more than 275 single-spaced pages.

Those concerned about the impact of Trump’s incendiary and often inaccurate messages have long sought ways to limit his reach. Cable news networks stopped airing his speeches live. Social media companies adopted new rules to slow the spread of false information. The targets of his bogus election conspiracy theories sued him and his proxies.

Perhaps the most significant move to limit Trump’s audience came after the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol: bans on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube, blocking him from some of the most influential social media platforms of the era.

And yet, three years later, a Washington Post analysis shows how those efforts have failed.

Now the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Trump is as potent a political force as ever, with an army of amplifiers ensuring that his messages — true or untrue — reach a broad swath of the American public. He is set to face President Biden in November, with Trump running roughly even in national polls.

When Trump was initially suspended from the major social media platforms, he issued a statement: “We will not be SILENCED!”

He then created his own social media platform, Truth Social, where he would never be banned and which would allow him to profit financially from his own messages.

Former president Donald Trump is reflected in a mirror as he speaks to supporters in Laconia, N.H., on the day before the New Hampshire Republican primary. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Truth Social was estimated to have 5.4 million website visits in the United States in March, with another 800,000 on its app. By comparison, X, which was formerly known as Twitter, claimed more than 200 times that, with over 1 billion visits. Facebook is estimated to have had 3 billion visits in the same period, according to audience tracking firm Similarweb. Even though Trump has now been reinstated on the larger platforms, he has stuck with Truth Social, a platform that gives him greater freedom but a far more limited reach.

Yet despite its relatively small user base, Truth Social is influential because it sustains the networks of MAGA influencers, culture warriors and election deniers who power the right-wing media and guide the rhetoric and policies of many Republican elected officials. It directly connects Trump to influencers with enormous networks and audiences outside the platform, The Post’s analysis found.

Press Enter to skip to end of carousel

How Trump has become angrier and more isolated on Truth Social

Here on his company’s social network Trump is offering followers an intimate view of what his second term could look like: isolated, vitriolic and vengeful.

End of carousel]

The Post analyzed 14,101 of Trump’s posts from the day he announced his presidential campaign on Nov. 15, 2022, through March 15, 2024, including 7,716 original text posts as well as reposts and image-only posts. He posted to Truth Social, where he now has 6.96 million followers, an average of 29 times a day over that period.

Those messages were in turn shared by followers with wildly popular Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, podcasts and cable news shows, some of which reach tens of millions of people. The Post’s analysis focused on nearly 200 right-wing political influencers who have active accounts on Truth Social and other social media sites.

“The people around Trump know better than anybody how to spread a message,” Stephen K. Bannon, a former Trump senior adviser and influential podcaster, said in an interview. They also benefit personally from their role.

Supporters of former president Donald Trump try to get his photo as he walks out to announce his bid for president at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Fla., on Nov. 15, 2022. (Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post)

By “recirculating golden nuggets from Trump, influencers provide the bonding of this media ecosystem,” said Yochai Benkler, a Harvard Law School professor who has long studied propaganda. “The more outrageous and trolling of the libs it is,” added Benkler, “the more attractive it is for those who want to make money and get credibility inside the political community for being a true believer.”

Trump recently praised Truth Social for its effectiveness. “When I put out a statement or message, it is SPREAD all over the place, fast and furious. EVERYBODY SEEMS TO GET WHATEVER I HAVE TO SAY, AND QUICKLY,” he wrote on the platform in early April.

Shannon Devine, spokesperson for Truth Social, said in a statement that “since users can express themselves on Truth Social without censorship and without their message being filtered through biased media outlets, it’s unsurprising that Donald Trump would use the platform or that people would spread his statements elsewhere.” The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment.

Trump’s biggest amplifiers include well-known political figures and media organizations, as well as those who have built their brands almost entirely based on their habitual echo of the former president’s words, The Post’s analysis found.

Influencers such as conservative radio and TV host Mark Levin, former Trump adviser and media commentator Sebastian Gorka, former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, and online personalities such as Philip Buchanan, who posts using the handle Catturd, regularly share Trump’s Truth Social posts within the platform and amplify his messages to their massive followings off it. Levin, Gorka, Flynn and Catturd each boast over a million followers on X, and Levin and Gorka host popular podcasts. Levin, Flynn and Buchanan did not respond to requests for comment. Gorka responded by saying, “You are scum and a hack. Go to Hell.”

Sebastian Gorka greets supporters on the first day of CPAC on March 2, 2023, in Fort Washington, Md. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Former Trump national security adviser and retired three-star Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn greets visitors during the ReAwaken America Tour on Oct. 21, 2022, in Manheim, Pa. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post)

Trump uses Truth Social to promote his campaign and personal brand, attack political rivals and solicit donations. He also makes false claims of election fraud, spreads far-right conspiracy theories and hurls vitriol at the judges, witnesses and prosecutors involved in his court cases. Posts that make claims of election interference, discuss his court cases or include aggressively insulting language, tend to get the most attention. Five of Trump’s 10 most reposted messages involve election denial.

Early in his campaign, almost all of Trump’s election-denial posts focused on the 2020 presidential race. But after his first indictment in April 2023, Trump began alleging that prosecutors, by charging him, were interfering in the 2024 election. Around the time of his June indictment for mishandling classified documents, his posts on alleged 2024 election interference began to outnumber claims of 2020 election fraud, a trend that continued throughout the year, the Post analysis found.

On Aug. 14, when Trump was indicted in Georgia, he posted three messages equating the indictment with election interference. “THOSE WHO RIGGED & STOLE THE ELECTION WERE THE ONES DOING THE TAMPERING, & THEY ARE THE SLIME THAT SHOULD BE PROSECUTED,” he wrote in his typical all-caps style.

His language was repeated dozens of times in the two following days on right-wing media, podcasts and television. Internet personality Catturd posted a screenshot of Trump’s post to Twitter an hour later, where it garnered 150,000 views. That afternoon, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Tex.) wrote on Facebook and Truth Social that the justice system was rigged against Trump, ending the post with an allegation of “election interference!”

The phenomenon is a “steroidal version of political messaging,” according to Chris Stirewalt, politics editor at NewsNation and a former political editor at Fox News. “Trump says or does something egregious and the people who are currying favor with him say, ‘Well, let’s workshop this,’ and they share his message on their own account, but add their own twist.”

One of the reasons Trump has not regularly posted on X is that he wants to create and keep financial value for his Truth Social site, which he carefully tracks, according to people close to him who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.

He has relentlessly tried to promote it, telling his advisers that he wants to break news on the platform to bring in more users. That focus paid off with an early, heady valuation of the company that peaked at more than $10 billion in late March, though shares in parent company Trump Media and Technology Group have fallen sharply since then.

Supporters use their phones during a rally in Erie, Pa., on July 29. (Dustin Franz for The Washington Post)

Trump has posted on X only once since leaving the Oval Office — his mug shot last year from an Atlanta jail, where he was booked on charges of trying to overturn Georgia’s 2020 election results.

But “even though Trump had been kicked off Twitter, people like me can get out Trump’s message on Twitter,” said Mike Davis, a former Senate aide who helped guide the confirmation of Supreme Court justices Neil M. Gorsuch, Brett M. Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Davis, who founded the Article III Project, a judicial advocacy organization, is a frequent podcast guest on shows hosted by influencers such as Charlie Kirk, Benny Johnson, Jack Posobiec and Bannon. He estimates that he’s done over 3,000 media appearances, “and that’s in addition to constant social media and writing opinion pieces defending Trump.”

Davis said that being kicked off social media is galvanizing for conservatives, and he would know. He has been suspended from Twitter five times. But each time, “it was the best thing ever, because then I would go on Fox News and talk about how I was being censored and that would build a bigger audience.”

An ideal testing ground

The day before the Conservative Political Action Conference in February, Bannon hosted a “force amplifier” event for influencers to discuss the most effective ways to support Trump’s causes.

Truth Social is an ideal testing ground, Bannon said, because it provides a way to test a message among a relatively small group that can then pass along the most effective lines to a wider audience.

“This entire industry is predicated upon the Trumps of the world creating compelling content daily,” said Bannon. “From YouTube to Facebook to Twitter to Instagram, the whole thing. People are making businesses and careers out of his content.”

A radio show is live-streamed as supporters of Donald Trump gather to watch election results following the presidential primaries on March 12 in Smyrna, Ga. (Megan Varner/For The Washington Post )

On July 27, new charges against Trump in the mishandling classified documents case were filed by special counsel Jack Smith. The following day, Trump wrote three posts on Truth Social referencing the “weaponization” of the Department of Justice or FBI, including one post that garnered over 8,400 reposts and 29,000 likes. The language quickly found its way off Truth Social.

“People are not stupid,” Trump lawyer Joe Tacopina said that night on Sean Hannity’s show, which typically reaches 2.3 million people. “As a whole, they are starting to understand that the weaponization of the justice system is full throttle right now.”

“This morning, I joined Fox and Friends to discuss the illegal weaponization of the DOJ against Joe Biden’s top political opponent,” Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-N.Y.) posted on her Facebook page, which has 360,000 followers, that afternoon.

Newsmax posted a video to its YouTube channel, which has 2.2 million subscribers, promoting an interview with former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle, who said the Biden administration had “weaponized the justice system in a shameful and disgraceful way.” (A Newsmax spokesperson said the network covers both sides of Trump’s trials. Guilfoyle said that the “censorship of President Trump is un-American, a total assault on the First Amendment.”)

Despite his frequent public complaints about how Fox treats him, Trump is also still amplified by its major prime time shows. The night he posted about the Georgia indictments, guests on the popular Hannity, “Jesse Watters Primetime” and “Fox News @ Night” shows, cited the indictments as evidence of election interference.

“For mainstream outlets, it’s the laziest kind of rage revenue because TV producers and web editors go out to find the posts that online rage merchants have already made,” said Stirewalt, who is also a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. “And then you can bring it back to your more mainstream audience and say: ‘Aren’t you enraged by how enraged they are?’”

From anonymity to influencer

Some of the former president’s biggest boosters have built their identities almost entirely online, with no credentials beyond their instinct for amplifying his words.

Philip Buchanan, a 59-year-old living in the panhandle of Florida, is the person behind the social media personality Catturd. Buchanan began tweeting in 2018 as a so-called “Reply Guy,” someone with a small social media following who communicates primarily in the comments section of prominent users. Today, his X account boasts 2.4 million followers, including former Fox host Tucker Carlson, billionaire X owner Elon Musk, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and Trump.

Buchanan, who is behind the social media personality Catturd, has 2.4 million followers of his X account. (Screenshot from social media)

Buchanan’s interactions with Trump highlight how each benefit from the other. Through much of 2020, the Catturd account had featured pandemic-era jabs at Democrats, often with a scatological twist. But after the election, Buchanan — like Trump — became fixated on false claims of a rigged vote. Trump retweeted him three times that November.

More recently, Buchanan posted a screenshot of an April 6 Trump post on Truth Social attacking New York Supreme Court Justice Juan Merchan, who is presiding over Trump’s hush money case. “Trump just violated the gag order and dares the corrupt activist hack judge to put him in jail,” Buchanan wrote on X. He followed up with a flame emoji to express his appreciation for Trump’s stance.

Buchanan, whose identity was revealed by Rolling Stone and confirmed by The Post, has credited his social media fame with changing his financial life. In January, he told Carlson, the former Fox News personality who now hosts a show on X, that he bought a new truck, started a podcast and now sells a line of Catturd-branded merchandise.

A clerk under threat

The public scrutiny of Allison Greenfield began with a Wisconsin man named Brock Fredin, who unearthed the photo of the law clerk with Schumer. Fredin posted the photo on X, using the handle @JudicialProtest, and added a caption asking why she was “palling around with Charles E. Schumer?”

Fredin did not respond to a request for comment.

Days later, Trump took a screenshot of Fredin’s post, added a link to Greenfield’s Instagram account, and pushed the message out to his followers. His campaign sent out an email blast targeting Greenfield minutes later.

Although Trump did not directly threaten Greenfield, he clearly voiced his disapproval to his many followers. Right-wing influencers publicized Greenfield’s cellphone and social media accounts, and she scrambled to hide her personal information and that of her family. Court security directed her to stop taking the subway and instead travel by car.

Judge Arthur Engoron, right, sits on the bench with principal law clerk Allison Greenfield, center, during former president Donald Trump's civil business fraud trial in New York on Nov. 2. (John Taggart for The Washington Post)

Laura Loomer speaks during protests against the indictment of former president Donald Trump outside the Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse in Miami on June 13. (Thomas Simonetti for The Washington Post)

Greenfield, who is now running to be a Manhattan civil court judge, declined to comment for this piece. But her experience was described in court papers and by Jerry Skurnik, a consultant for her campaign.

Trump’s post resulted in roughly 20-30 calls per day to Greenfield’s personal cellphone and approximately 30-50 messages per day across social media, Linkedln and two personal email addresses, according to court papers. The threats, many of which were sexist and antisemitic in nature, included several death threats.

Loomer was among those who focused attention on Greenfield, sharing Trump’s Truth Social message about the clerk to her nearly 1 million followers on X and proclaiming the case against the former president a “WITCH HUNT.” When reached for comment, Loomer said that “it is important for me and the MAGA base to be Donald Trump’s bullhorn,” a role that she said has only become more crucial since he has been subjected to multiple gag orders.

Once an appellate judge temporarily paused the gag order on Nov. 16, Trump lashed out again at Greenfield and Engoron on Truth Social. “His Ridiculous and Unconstitutional Gag Order, not allowing me to defend myself against him and his politically biased and out of control, Trump Hating Clerk, who is sinking him and his Court to new levels of LOW, is a disgrace,” Trump wrote.

Trump continues to attack several of the judges overseeing his cases, and recently flouted a gag order in his hush money case in New York by lashing out against two potential trial witnesses and the jury.

Trump said he would be “honored” to go to jail for violating the gag order. Instead, in late April, Merchan fined Trump $9,000.

The same day, Trump posted on Truth Social that the judge was “Rigged, Crooked, and above all, and without question, CONFLICTED.”

Loomer shared Trump’s post on X, and Catturd reshared the message to his followers, adding three fire emojis.

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Claire Goforth

‘I soon learned, if you have an opinion the left doesn’t like—you will be harassed’: Twitter icon Catturd, a Trump favorite, revealed

‘Are we having fun yet?’

[

Claire Goforth](https://www.dailydot.com/author/claire-goforth/) Trending

Posted on Jul 25, 2023 Updated on Nov 17, 2023, 6:48 am CST

Featured Video

The Florida sun was blazing when I pulled into the driveway of one of the most famous and mysterious conservative internet personalities in America.

A white pickup truck coming up the lane quickly reversed toward the house at the sight of my car. The truck then stopped abruptly and honked, so I pulled to the side, got out, and started toward it.

The driver leaned on the horn and a woman inside yelled out the window, “You’re on private property!”

The truck raced back to the residence the owner fondlyrefers to as Catturd Ranch. This is the closest any reporter has gotten to Catturd, the right-wing internet personality who glibly describes himself as “the turd you can’t flush.”

Who is Catturd?

In five short years, he’s gone from an unknown fecal-themed member of the MAGA reply guys to a powerhouse influencer. His missives have solicited responses from the likes of Elon Musk and are frequently reposted by former President Donald Trump. Yet, despite his fame and nearly 2 million Twitter followers, 1 million Truth Social followers, and hundreds of thousands who have listened to his podcast, Catturd remains largely a mystery.

Even as he became famous—or infamous, depending on your perspective—Catturd managed to keep his real name a secret for years. Then, in early 2023, theQAnon Anonymous* podcast, after following up reporting by *Rolling Stone, revealed that the man behind the internet fursona is Phillip Buchanan, a 58-year-old white guy who lives in a rural part of the Florida panhandle. On a recent trip to his hometown, the Daily Dot learned that Buchanan’s preference for anonymity extends to the place he’s called home since 2018. Almost nobody there has any idea who he is—in real life or online. And that’s just how he likes it.

Claire Goforth/Daily Dot (Licensed)

Over the years, Buchanan has consistently refused to speak to media outside his right-wing bubble. He routinely ignores interview requests, claims he doesn’t care what people think of him, and says he rarely reads coverage of him because it’s “boring.”

My visit prompted the man best known as Catturd to break from his longstanding refusal to open up to media he perceives as liberal. The morning after our encounter in his driveway, Buchanan agreed to answer the Daily Dot’s questions via email. In his response to an inquiry I sent via his website, he came across as angry and afraid, yet concerned for my safety and that of his six dogs. He also threatened to call the police.

“I don’t like being harassed at my private home. I’ve been doxed so many times by the left and right, I have a constant flow of people pulling over, taking pictures, even leaving death threats in my mailbox,” Buchanan wrote.

Buchanan said strangers aren’t ever allowed on his property, in part because he likes his privacy and in part because he rescues dogs that have been abandoned and mistreated.

“If you open the gate, one could run down and bite—the others would run out of the gate and could be easily killed on that dangerous road,” Buchanan wrote.

“You also don’t need to be pulling out on that road in a hurry then braking suddenly,” he added. (I initially wasn’t sure it was the right house and turned around to circle back.)

“I don’t want to see you get hurt. That road is extremely dangerous so be careful.”

He went on to say he’d be “shocked” if this wasn’t a “hit piece,” but said he’d give me a chance anyway.

“There’s no need to try to ambush me or follow me around. If I’m harassed in any way the next few days, I’ll call the local cops and let them handle it—and I don’t want to do that,” he wrote.

“I don’t like being like this, but I also don’t like feeling like a prisoner in my own home. Please respect my boundaries and I’ll respect yours.” He signed the email “Catturd.”

The gate to his driveway was shut every time I drove past on the way to or from town throughout the rest of my stay.

Claire Goforth/Daily Dot (Licensed)

The land of Catturd and honey

With fewer than 30 people per square mile, Gulf County is one of the most rural parts of Florida. The Apalachicola River snakes through the county and into the Gulf of Mexico, producing the oysters and honey for which Florida is renowned. Like its famous yet anonymous resident, Gulf County exists in two worlds. It’s the only county in Florida—and one of onlynine in America—that’s in two time zones: Eastern and Central.

Wewahitchka, the part of the county where Catturd lives, is best known for the Dead Lakes and Tupelo honey that’s harvested there. The town of 2,000 people is a speck surrounded by woods and water; “Wewahitchka” translates to “water eyes” in Seminole. Local beekeepers sell honey alongside seafood and other wares at roadside shops and stores like the Dixie Dandy, a combination gas station, grocery store, and restaurant. The local coffee shop, Birdie’s Brew, serves some drinks with honey. One person said “everything is honey” in Wewahitchka. If they don’t work at a shop in town or for themselves, a librarian said that most people in town work at the school, prison, or Deseret Cattle & Timber—hence the logging trucks Buchanan warned about.

It’s not the kind of place where one expects to rub elbows with celebrities, but Wewahitchka, which locals simply call Wewa, has had a few famous residents. Country music legend Hank Williams Jr. had a place on the river where he’d host parties that residents say were as rowdy as his songs promised. New York Timesbestselling mystery novelistMichael Lister lives in Wewa. Much of the 1997 film about a beekeeper, Ulee’s Gold, which earned Peter Fonda an Oscar nomination, was filmed there.

Claire Goforth/Daily Dot (Licensed)

Although he’s got millions of followers, Buchanan is unknown in his own community. Only one of the dozens of locals the Daily Dot interviewed over several days had ever heard of him.

Adam, a middle-aged man working the counter at a business in Wewa, asked about the story after spotting my press badge. He broke into a broad grin at the name “Phillip Buchanan.”

“Oh, yeah, Catturd,” Adam said.

He said that Buchanan is a “pretty good guy” who will talk a blue streak about politics if you get him going.

“You’d never think someone [that famous] would live in Wewa,” Adam added, shaking his head.

Everyone else was surprised to learn that they live down the road from a man so well-known in right-wing political circles that Trump sent him a get-well card when he was in the hospital last year.

The bartender at local watering hole Pub 71 read Buchanan’s Wikipedia page and said it made him sound “like an a**hole.”

“He wouldn’t come here then, because we’re bigger a**holes,” she added with a smile. A regular sitting at the bar with his dog in his lap agreed.

“That name don’t ring no bells,” said one of the two officers manning the door at the Gulf County Courthouse in nearby Port St. Joe. They were amazed to learn that a celebrity of his stature lives in Wewa. They gathered around the front desk computer to look him up and see where he lives.

“Honeyville’s a real close-knit community,” the first officer said, referring to the part of Wewa that Buchanan calls home. He opined that it’s weird to be a public figure on the internet and practically invisible in your hometown. After thinking about it for a few minutes, he said he seemed to recall Buchanan had black Labrador retrievers when he first moved in.

Claire Goforth/Daily Dot (Licensed)

The same scenario played out at the library, in local businesses, and at a meeting of the Gulf County Democratic Party. The dozen people who attended the meeting were so curious they requested a brief speech about Catturd. Upon learning that Buchanan wrote science fiction novels, both librarians went hunting the stacks for a sci-fi book by a local writer whose first name is Phillip. The author turned out to have a different last name.

In a town where everybody knows everybody, almost no one knows Catturd. And that’s just how Buchanan likes it.

“I mainly keep to myself and hardly anyone in my small town knows who I am, and probably wouldn’t care if they did,” he said in an email.

He also said he doesn’t get involved in local politics because he wants his home to be a “sanctuary” from the political arena.

From the Groovy Grapes to Twitter

Buchanan spent his twenties and thirties trying to find his place in the world—with limited success. Multiple marriages didn’t work out. Playing guitar and singing in a rock band called the Groovy Grapes didn’t quite work out either.

Rolling Stone reports that the producers who worked on Beck’s Odelaywere interested in Buchanan’s band and its mid-’90s, grunge-infused rock.

In 2018, not long after he bought a two-bedroom house in Wewa, Buchanan, then 54, unexpectedly stumbled onto the gig that would make him famous. That fall, he created a Twitter account with the handle @Catturd2.

Via email, Buchanan said he’d lurked on Twitter for years until a deeply felt personal loss inspired him to start tweeting.

“After a lifetime of playing guitar and slinging hammers, using power tools, and working hard—out of the blue, I developed bad arthritis in my fingers. It started with my index fingers and in the period of a few short months, I sadly lost the ability to play guitar,” he wrote. “This was a huge blow to me—I was lost.”

Music had been a part of his life since childhood, he said. His days of playing in the Groovy Grapes were long gone, but he still enjoyed spending evenings writing songs with his guitar. Seeking a creative outlet, he turned to writing sci-fi and tweeting.

His Twitter presence was heavily political from the start. Buchanan also shied away from local issues. On Oct. 10, 2018,the day Hurricane Michael tore through Gulf County as a Category 5 storm with 160 mile-an-hour winds, Buchanantweeted, “Goodnight folks… Always remember. Obama hates the USA. Hillary uses the USA[.] Trump loves the USA.” He would laterdocument the damage the hurricane wrought.

Claire Goforth/Daily Dot (Licensed)

By quote-tweeting people like conspiratorial far-right troll Jack Posobiec and conservative pundit Dan Bongino and penning tweets in his caustic, unfiltered style, Catturd swiftly gained Twitter followers, bringing him both acclaim and hatred.

Within months of creating the account, Buchanan was getting retweeted by some of the most prominent conservative influencers online. His tweets about election fraud in 2020, a claim he keeps hammering to this day, catapulted him to the pinnacle of right-wing retweets: Trump himself. (There is no credible evidence that fraud affected the election outcome.) Today, there are entire accounts dedicated to loving—and loathing—him.

His following is impressively built as a textbook reply guy who sticks to two subjects—politics and his pets—and there’s no indication that Buchanan inflated his follower count inorganically, though he does increase his reach by subscribing to Twitter Blue. But he did not answer when this reporter asked if he was paid to tweet.

:{As Catturd, Buchanan often comes across as venomous and angry—except when he writes about his animals. Hisposts about his six cats and six dogs stand in sharp contrast to tweetsdeclaring “dumbf*cks vote blue” andcalling Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) a “little b*tch” for not supporting America first candidates who support isolationist policies, such as no longer meddling in foreign affairs, providing international aid, and belonging to treaty organizations like the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

He onceretweeted a photoshopped sexual image of President Joe Biden with his face buried in Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelenskyy’s butt. A few tweets earlier, he shareda photo of his dog “mama Sweetie” feeding some of her 10 puppies while the others slept around her, their furry little bodies sated from mother’s milk.}:

He told the Daily Dot that he dreams of turning his property into a sanctuary for abused and abandoned pets that he’d call the Catturd Rescue Ranch, “just because I think it’s funny.”

“I’m trying to make enough money to be able to do this when I’m gone. It’s the one thing I really want to leave behind,” he said.

Claire Goforth/Daily Dot (Licensed)

When he writes about the joy animals bring him, it’s almost possible to forget that Buchanan and Catturd are the same person. Yet the man who named a puppy “Wiggles” is the same person who recently called Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.’s nephew a “pathetic weasel” for condemning his uncle’s false claim that COVID-19 was designed to spare Ashkenazi Jews and Chinese people.

Buchanan directshis ire, of which he has plenty, at Republicans, but he reserves his most scathing commentary for the other side of the aisle. He’s made something of a cottage industry oftrolling Rep. Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-N.Y.). On a recent episode of his podcast, Live from the Litter Box with Jewels and Catturd, he called Attorney General Merrick Garland a “brown shirt Nazi,” and liberals “garbage, trash, scum,” saying of them, “I can’t stand you… At every step of your life, I hate you.”

Via email, he said that his rant about hating Democrats wasn’t directed at individuals, but at their politics. In his view, calling liberals “trash” and saying he hates them is merely his way of disagreeing with their opinions.

“For example, if someone tells me that men can have babies, I really don’t care what that person has to say about anything forever. I won’t participate in their delusions nor do I have time for justifying insanity,” he said.

But Buchanan insists that he doesn’t categorically hate all liberals; he just despises their views.

“I do, however, have a genuine love of people outside of politics and can keep the two issues separate,” Buchanan wrote. “I treat everyone with respect when I meet them and believe most people are genuinely good when you can get outside politics.”

Buchanan also said he loathes both political parties and hates voting for the “worthless Republican Party” but feels the left is “so batsh*t crazy,” he doesn’t have any choice. He seems not to know or care that this is a similar refrain people on the left say about their political counterparts.

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Buchanan frequently says that he has no idea why he has attracted millions of followers. He said he never expected to get more than a few hundred and attributes his success as Catturd to “blind luck.” He said he thinks it’s funny that people are so intrigued by him when he’s just a regular guy who shares his opinions, makes jokes, and posts about his pets. Buchanan conceded that the internet has changed his life in both good and bad ways, and said that being anonymous wasn’t really something he cared about so much as a gag that grew funnier the longer it lasted.

“But I soon learned, if you have an opinion the left doesn’t like—you will be harassed, stalked, your life threatened. You must be destroyed,” he said. “Some on the right did the same thing.”

He may be one of the biggest conservative influencers online, but Buchanan doesn’t feel like he fits in with his cohorts. He said he doesn’t attend any of the many events he’s invited to because he’s “not a suit-and-tie guy” for whom taking selfies and hobnobbing at parties holds any appeal. To Buchanan, it’s weirder to post tons of selfies than it is to be simultaneously famous and invisible.

Claire Goforth/Daily Dot (Licensed)

“The truth is I enjoy playing with my dogs, going to the beach, being out in nature, or writing my stories, much more than going to a red carpet event—and it’s not even close,” he said. “I guess if journalists wrote the real truth about me, nobody would want to read it. lol.”

“I’m a mostly boring 58-year-old who doesn’t care about wealth, fancy things, socializing 24/7, or being in the in-crowd.”

That might be true in Wewa, but he clearly relishes being internet famous. He celebrates follower count milestones—he once tweeted about planning a music festival to celebrate reaching 1 million on Twitter, which he naturally called “Turdstock”—and told the Daily Dot he “absolutely adore[s]” his fans. He may have never expected to be famous, but Buchanan has gotten used to the trappings of fame. He was outraged when Twitter paid a portion of ad sales to influencers earlier this month, but left him out.

IFrame Content

The influencer next door

Even before he was outed by Rolling Stone—which spoke to an ex-wife who was surprised to learn that her musically gifted, handsome ex had become a MAGA influencer—and QAnon Anonymous—which exposed his real name and where he lives—Buchanan largely steered clear of his fellow townsfolk.

On Feb. 20, 2021, he called the cops to report a potential threat to public safety. Records the Daily Dot obtained from the Gulf County Sheriff’s Office state that a Phillip Buchanan who lives at his address called the police a little after 6pm to report seeing a white male in a black hoodie near the drive-thru liquor store. The report states that Buchanan thought the male had a rifle, so he went home and called the cops. When the police arrived, they found a 13-year-old carrying a BB gun. They gave the boy and his uncle, who was with him, a verbal warning and sent them on their way.

After calling the cops on the boy, hetweeted, “Are we having fun yet?” andlamented that he misses Rush Limbaugh “BAD.”

If he got to know them, however, Buchanan would probably find he has much in common with people in Wewa, which local resident Brian, a military veteran who said he served in Iraq and Afghanistan, referred to as a “well-defined conglomerate of nobodies.”

The town isfilled with white, Christian, gun-owning Trump supporters just like him. Wewa is so steeped in Christianity that many businesses and the library are closed on Wednesdays because there’s church that night.Trump won three out of four votes in Gulf County in 2020. Today, plenty of houses proudly display Trump signs of both the official and handmade variety.

On a recent summer afternoon, Wewahitchka Mayor Phillip Gaskin had just finished mowing grass by the Dead Lakes. Clad in overalls, with a hat and long sleeves to protect him from the merciless Florida sun, Gaskin was ready for cold beer and conversation. He apologized profusely for making an obscene gesture at the local carpenter giving me a tour of town with his little dog, JoJo.

“I didn’t know there was a lady in there,” he said more than once in a Southern twang that, coupled with his easy nature and working man attire, could make an outsider surprised to learn that he’s not only the mayor but also a mechanical engineer.

Gaskin and the carpenter lingered between their trucks, swapping stories about Hurricane Michael, business, and the good times they had at a bait shop Gaskin ran before a bout with cancer. One boasted that the store sold more beer than any other establishment in town. Patrons had a tradition of buying rounds for the house; sometimes, there’d be upward of 30 people crammed inside, drinking beer and chewing the fat.

Gaskin, a Republican who supports Trump but thinks he’d be better served by talking less and spending more time with his “beautiful wife,” was stunned to learn about his famous constituent.

“I’m gonna look him up,” he said.

If past is prologue, it’s not likely they’ll crack a joke or a cold one together anytime soon. For that, Buchanan would have to open his gate and let people in.

TAGS

DONALD TRUMPFAR RIGHTFLORIDATWITTERVIRAL POLITICS

First published: Jul 25, 2023, 5:27 am CDT

Claire Goforth

Claire Goforth is an investigative reporter, lawyer, and the head of the Daily Dot’s Hi-Res division. Her work has appeared in the Guardian, Al Jazeera, the Juvenile Justice Information Exchange, and more.

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ggl 7 24

[

The Daily Dot

https://www.dailydot.com › news › who-is-catturd](https://www.dailydot.com/news/who-is-catturd/)

Jul 25, 2023 — 'I soon learned, if you have an opinion the left doesn't like—you will be harassed': Twitter icon Catturd, a Trump favorite, revealed. 'Are we ...

[### Catturd

Wikipedia

https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Catturd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catturd)

Catturd (born September 18, 1964) is the online identity of right-wing American Twitter shitposter and Internet troll Phillip Buchanan.

[### WLOS ABC 13 - Phillip Lawrence Buchanan, 58, was ...

Facebook · WLOS ABC 13

130+ reactions · 3 years ago](https://www.facebook.com/News13/posts/phillip-lawrence-buchanan-58-was-arrested-shortly-after-midnight-wednesday-after/10158594552946799/)

I find it odd that Phillip L Buchanan aka: Catturd2 from Twitter. ... Catturd is not this Phillip. 1 yr. Gina Salvia. Marion MacLeod Lackey ...

Missing: social ‎| Show results with: social

[### Phillip Buchanan

IMDb

https://www.imdb.com › name](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13615341/)

Phillip Buchanan. Self: In the Litter Box with Jewels and Catturd.

Missing: media ‎personality

[### How Trump's allies amplify his Truth Social messages ...

The Washington Post

https://www.washingtonpost.com › politics › interactive](https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/interactive/2024/trump-truth-social-posts-amplifiers-right-wing-media/)

May 8, 2024 — and Trump. Buchanan, who is behind the social media personality Catturd, has 2.4 million followers of his X account. (Screenshot from social ...

Missing: Phillip ‎| Show results with: Phillip

[### Phillip L. Buchanan - parody (@PhillipLamarB) ...

X · PhillipLamarB

550+ followers](https://twitter.com/philliplamarb?lang=en)

Phil aka "Catturd" is angry. Hes angry he failed as a musician, 3x divorced & to get back at the world he now hates people, has only Animals as his friends & ...

Missing: social ‎| Show results with: social

[### Phillip Buchanan - News

IMDb

https://www.imdb.com › name › news](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm13615341/news/)

Last week, prominent Twitter Blue accounts began posting screenshots of thousand-dollar payouts they received through the platform's newly launched ad ...

[### PERSON: Phillip Buchanan (Catturd)

Grabien

https://grabien.com › profile](https://grabien.com/profile?id=176999)

Jan 22, 2024 — Donald Trump retweeted Catturd seven times. Media Matters for America accused Buchanan of violating Twitter's platform manipulation policy, ...

Missing: social ‎| Show results with: social

[### Right-Wing Commentator 'Catturd' Swatted During Podcast

The Daily Dot

https://www.dailydot.com › debug › catturd-swatted-du...](https://www.dailydot.com/debug/catturd-swatted-during-podcast/)

Sep 26, 2023 — The popular right-wing internet personality Phillip Buchanan, known online as “Catturd,” was reportedly swatted on Monday while recording an ...

[### Phillip Buchanon (@phillipbuchanon)

Instagram · phillipbuchanon

6.9K+ followers](https://www.instagram.com/phillipbuchanon/?hl=en)

6945 Followers, 968 Following, 387 Posts - Phillip Buchanon (@phillipbuchanon) on Instagram: "Entrepreneur - Winning mindset. Championship Spirit.

Missing: personality ‎Catturd

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