Silhouette of a man at a computer wearing a red MAGA hat

Molly Butler / Media Matters

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For years, right-wing media and right-leaning online shows have boosted a pro-MAGA social media account that Wired now says is secretly run by a Trump staffer

Steve Bannon once called the account “one of the best sites out there”

Written by Payton Armstrong, Jack Wheatley & Jack Winstanley

Published

This week, Wired reported that a prominent pro-Trump social media account known as “Johnny MAGA” was being secretly run by a rapid response manager within the Trump administration named Garrett Wade. The account appeared to be just “another outraged supporter in the MAGA media ecosystem,” and for years, figures in that ecosystem have amplified and leaned on Johnny MAGA’s social media content to promote Trump and criticize Democrats and Trump opponents.

Wade’s account has even been reposted by his own bosses, President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance. Despite its popularity, white nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes has called Johnny MAGA’s content “slop” and right-leaning streamer David Freiheit has said that influencers need to “stop this type of shit.”

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  • Wired reported that a popular pro-Trump social media account is secretly run by a White House staffer

    • On February 25, Wired reported that the pro-Trump social media account “Johnny MAGA” appears to be run by Garrett Wade, a rapid response manager within the Trump administration. The account has been active since at least 2022, prior to Trump’s return to office. Wired reported: “To its audience, Johnny MAGA looked like an independent voice, another outraged supporter in the MAGA media ecosystem. The account regularly boosts Trump’s Truth Social posts and goes to bat for the administration, attacking Democrats like California governor Gavin Newsom. But this isn’t just a regular account. Johnny MAGA appears to actually be a White House staffer named Garrett Wade who works for the Trump administration as a rapid response manager, helping to run the very same White House account his anonymous MAGA account amplifies.” Wade’s ownership of the account, which referred to a video depicting former President Barack Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama as apes “a masterpiece,” was confirmed by a “source close to the White House.” [Wired, 2/25/26]
    • Johnny MAGA has been reposted by both President Trump and Vice President JD Vance and cited in articles from a variety of media outlets. Trump reportedly amplified the “account numerous times on Truth Social, including during the height of the 2024 Republican primary battle against Ron DeSantis.” In January 2026, Vice President JD Vance reposted one of Wade’s posts and added a laughing emoji. News outlets Mother Jones, The Independent, and Newsweek have also cited the account. [Meidas Touch, 2/26/26; Infowars, 1/23/26; Mother Jones, 12/10/25; The Independent, 9/11/25, Newsweek, 2/28/25]

  • Right-wing media and right-leaning online shows have praised and amplified Johnny MAGA’s content for years

    • Right-wing podcaster Tim Pool shared a video from Johnny MAGA’s account in which the account said Trump “stared down Free Palestine protesters.” Pool said: “We got this video from Johnny MAGA. ‘Holy smokes. Trump just stared down Free Palestine protesters who called him the Hitler of our time.'” [YouTube, Timcast IRL, 9/10/25]
    • Conservative streamer Dave Rubin praised a Johnny MAGA post that complimented Trump for wearing a MAGA hat while watching air strikes. Rubin said: “I just thought this was good from Johnny MAGA. … And you can see just there's Trump, the MAGA hat, the whole thing, just like, we're just doing it. We're just doing it.” [Rumble, The Rubin Report, 3/17/25]
    • Far-right commentator Steve Bannon said that Johnny MAGA’s account had one of the “best feeds” and seemed to refer to the account as a reporter. Bannon said “Johnny MAGA” is “one of the best sites out there” adding: “They're reporting” that an alleged bomber was “recruiting Special Forces guys that were getting out for Ukraine.” [Real America’s Voice, War Room, 1/2/25]
    • Right-wing YouTuber Candace Owens showed a Johnny MAGA post that criticized Barack Obama. Owens read multiple social media posts and said: “This next person, Johnny MAGA, writes: ‘Obama in November. Trump is an existential threat to our democracy. Obama in January:’ And here he is just laughing and enjoying his company.” [YouTube, Candace, 1/9/25]
    • The Gateway Pundit has repeatedly relied on Johnny MAGA posts in published articles to go after Trump critics. The outlet included a video from Johnny MAGA’s account of Greene interviewing with CNN, and declared in the headline, “THE BETRAYAL IS COMPLETE: Marjorie Taylor Greene Begs Radical Left for Mercy.” Gateway Pundit also linked to a Johnny MAGA post in an article attacking “Classless Hunter Biden” who will “Not Apologize to First Lady Melania Trump for Falsely Linking Her to Jeffrey Epstein.” [The Gateway Pundit, 11/16/25, 8/14/25]
    • Infowars has repeatedly cited Johnny MAGA’s posts in online content, including to criticize protesters in Minnesota and to attack Trump’s former national security adviser, John Bolton. An Infowars article embedded Johnny MAGA’s post and wrote, “Footage from the event shows an enthusiastic mob of liberals from the University of Minnesota banging drums and playing horns in -15° F weather.” Another Infowars article used video footage posted by Johnny MAGA of Trump criticizing Bolton. [Infowars, 1/23/26, 8/22/25]
    • As a guest host on The Jimmy Dore Show, Keaton Weiss used a Johnny MAGA post to slam Gavin Newsom following the fires in Los Angeles, California, in January 2025. Weiss said: “Holy smokes, says Johnny MAGA, L.A. woman, runs up to confront Gavin Newsom about his failures, asks him why her daughter's school burned down and why the hydrants didn't have any water. … This is quite the piece of video here.” [YouTube, The Jimmy Dore Show, 1/13/25]
    • Right-wing outlet Townhall embedded a post from Johnny MAGA criticizing Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY). The post said: “‘Principled conservative’ Thomas Massie told Politico he withheld his support on a key vote because he wasn’t praised by Speaker Johnson for the Epstein file releases. These are the people calling Trump childish.” [Townhall, 2/18/26]
    • Right-wing outlet Breitbart cited Johnny MAGA in a story about protesters in Minnesota. Breitbart wrote: “Vance shared a video clip showing protesters making all kinds of racket outside what was reportedly a hotel. … Johnny Maga, wrote in the caption, ‘LMAO. Libs in Minneapolis are currently standing outside a hotel in -15 degree weather banging pots and playing instruments to keep JD Vance from sleeping inside his hotel.’ However, the account noted, ‘Little do they know, JD Vance landed back in D.C. 5 hours ago.’” [Breitbart, 1/23/26]
    • Right-wing news website The Western Journal published a piece with an embedded post from Johnny MAGA under the headline: “Dem Running for Senate in Maine as a Humble Veteran Called Himself a ‘Communist’ and Painted Rural Whites as Stupid and Racist Online.” [The Western Journal, 10/16/25]
    • In 2023, a host on Catturd’s podcast mentioned a post from Johnny MAGA, highlighting attacks against Ron Desantis when he ran in the 2024 presidential election. The post read: “This might be the most brutal takedown of the Desantis campaign yet.” [Rumble, In the Litter Box, 12/19/23]
    • The QAnon show, X22 Report, also suggested Johnny MAGA’s account was a credible journalistic account, with host David Marc Fishman saying of Trump’s crowd sizes: “They're reporting that it was 80 to 100,000 people there. Johnny MAGA put this out and said, ‘This is not a rock concert.’” X22 Report has also promoted Wade’s account as factual, saying: “Johnny MAGA says protesters from Code Pink just interrupted Kristi Noem's congressional hearing, demanding an end to ICE raids.” [Rumble, X22 Report, 5/13/24, 12/11/25; Media Matters, 6/25/24]

  • Some right-wing and right-leaning media figures have called out Johnny MAGA’s content as “slop” and “shit”

    • White nationalist streamer Nick Fuentes compared Johnny MAGA’s content to “slop.” After Johnny MAGA posted footage of Trump on the White House roof, Fuentes said: “What are we doing, folks? I don't know how people are still eating up the slop. It's like that Johnny MAGA account. You know what I'm talking about? What's his name? It's like Johnny MAGA, that one, and Charlie Kirk, and I think there's like Catturd, obviously.” [Rumble, America First, 8/6/25; Media Matters, 2/13/26; Southern Poverty Law Center, accessed 2/26/26]
    • Streamer David Freiheit criticized Johnny MAGA’s misrepresentation of a quote made by then-Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), telling him to “stop this type of shit. He said: “Johnny MAGA, who if you support MAGA and if you support Trump, maybe you want to stop this type of shit. Just throwing that out there. If you support Trump and you want to be respected and reputable, maybe not lie about what people say in a manner that is easily verifiable simply by going to watch the video that is attached to the misrepresentation of what was said in order to discredit the statement.” [Rumble, Viva Frei, 11/18/25]

  • Media Matters is maintaining a database of online shows with a right-leaning or left-leaning ideological bent, including those that self-categorize in nonpolitical categories such as comedy, sports, and culture but which we determined regularly cover news and politics. This report draws upon that ongoing research in categorizing the online shows mentioned.