United States intelligence agencies are warning that foreign adversaries are working harder than ever to sow the seeds of doubt in American voters ahead of the upcoming 2024 general election. According to The Associated Press, U.S. officials said Russia remains the greatest threat but have an eye on Iran and China as well.
Kremlin-backed groups are reportedly increasingly hiring marketing and communications firms to spread lies about the upcoming presidential election between Vice President Kamala Harris — the likely Democratic nominee — and former President Donald Trump.
U.S. intelligence officials said that back in March they caught two firms who had created fake websites and social media profiles to spread Russian disinformation and sow confusion. The targets of the operations ranged from political candidates and voting to immigration and the war in Gaza.
U.S. spy agencies said that Iran is hyper focused on fueling distrust within American political institutions, especially over Israel’s war in Gaza. According to officials, Iran has created fake online personas and engaged in secret online campaigns.
U.S. intelligence said that Iran isn’t particularly fond of a second Trump presidency due to fears that his return to the Oval Office would increase tensions between Washington and Tehran. While in office, Trump ordered the killing of an Iranian commander and withdrew from the Obama-era nuclear agreement with Iran.
However, U.S. officials maintain that the ultimate goal of these adversaries is to get Americans to spread disinformation. They warn people to look out for fake websites that are designed to look like U.S. news outlets.
Foreign actors are exploiting recent stories in the election cycle, such as the attempted assassination of Trump and President Joe Biden’s decision to drop out of the race.
For instance, Russian disinformation campaigns quickly jumped on claims that Democratic rhetoric led to the shooting of Trump and even spread conspiracy theories that Biden or Ukraine was behind the attack.
While recent information suggests that Iran may prefer Harris, U.S. intelligence said that Russia may prefer Trump, as he has expressed a desire to withdraw from NATO and shared skepticism over American funding for Ukraine.
Meanwhile, China is exclusively expected to focus on congressional races — particularly on candidates who voice strong opinions about Beijing.