Trump's fmr. election head ran Israel-backed digital campaign seeking MAGA support in Iran war

Brad Parscale, who managed Donald Trump's presidential campaign, has been connected to a digital campaign in Iran that opposed a U.S.-Iran ceasefire, according to a Time Magazine report citing a senior U.S. official. Following the June 17 ceasefire agreement, influencers associated with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement began criticizing it on social media, with many posts appearing simultaneously and using similar language.

The official reportedly began investigating these coordinated posts, eventually tracing them back to Parscale. In September, Parscale's company, Clock Tower X, was hired by the global advertising agency Havas for a digital campaign on behalf of Israel. Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) filings reviewed by TIME indicate that Parscale's group was contracted to produce 100 original pieces of content monthly, with at least 80% aimed at Gen Z audiences across platforms like TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, and podcasts.

Under the agreement, Parscale committed to generating at least 50 million digital impressions per month and influencing AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini in their characterization of Israel and the war. Israel allegedly agreed to pay Clock Tower X $1.5 million monthly. The campaign was publicly framed as an effort to combat rising antisemitism online, but a Foreign Ministry official familiar with the arrangement suggested a strategic aim was to prevent young conservatives from turning against Israel. Parscale reportedly presented himself as uniquely positioned to improve Israel's reputation among young conservatives, leveraging his experience with Trump's campaign and his understanding of the internet and the MAGA movement.