- Israel is now investing in conservative American influencers – a move that echoes Trump’s warnings that the country was losing the ‘PR war’
- Critics are targeted through pulpit smear campaigns while compliant voices are rewarded with funding and media training to deliver scripted support
The U.S. President, Donald Trump, warned in April 2024 that Israel was “losing the PR war” over its conduct in Gaza, not due to the rising death toll, but because of the global image crisis sparked by viral footage of destruction.
“They’re getting decimated with this publicity” – Donald Trump.
Trump’s remarks revealed the core of the strategy. His concern was not the bloodshed, but the optics. His warning signalled that the real crisis was visibility – that the world was finally witnessing, in real time, what had long been hidden from view.
“But they’ve got to finish what they started, and they’ve got to finish it fast” – Donald Trump
Though not framed as humanitarian concern, Trump’s words foreshadowed a shift in how Israel and its allies would tackle mounting criticism, one that does not appear to be through policy change, but by controlling the narrative before further reputational damage. That shift is now taking shape.
From Defection to Direction
In July 2025, Israel launched a new outreach initiative aimed at rebuilding support among conservative American audiences by sponsoring trips to the state for MAGA-aligned influencers. These visits, reportedly funded by the Maccabee Task Force and backed by Christian Zionist donors such as Miriam Adelson, are designed to turn prominent social media personalities into strategic “PR assets” for Israel within U.S. right-wing circles.
This initiative comes in response to a visible decline in support from prominent voices within that same sphere. Candace Owens, once a central figure at The Daily Wire, publicly condemned Israel’s actions in Gaza as “morally indefensible” and left the outlet in March 2024 after sustained clashes with co-founder Ben Shapiro. Tucker Carlson, for years the most-watched host on American television, repeatedly questioned Israeli military conduct – statements that prompted accusations of antisemitism despite his long-standing America-first platform. Piers Morgan, initially a vocal defender of Israel’s conduct in Gaza, has since described the campaign in Gaza as “untenable,” citing the civilian death toll and the lack of a coherent long-term strategy.
In this context, the influencer tours mark a deliberate recalibration. With trusted allies defecting, Israel is curating a new set of voices, ones more likely to stay on script
From Influence to Inquisition
Rather than respond to criticism through dialogue, Israeli-aligned interests escalated efforts to suppress dissenting voices. In June 2025, multiple U.S. churches were reportedly offered $2,500 in Bitcoin to publicly denounce Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson during sermons. According to sources, payment was contingent on providing video evidence of the condemnation.
While the letter offering the payments resembled the style and rhetoric of Zionist-linked advocacy groups, major rabbinical institutions officially denied any connection to its authorship. Despite the denials, several churches proceeded with the campaign, explicitly naming Owens and Carlson in sermons and labelling them “antisemitic.”
The episode highlights a broader pattern. Public figures who voice moral opposition to Israel’s military conduct risk targeted reputational attacks, while those who maintain alignment with the official narrative are publicly supported, sponsored, and rewarded with amplified platforms.
Funding the Friendly
The MAGA influencer trips reveal a strategic shift from reactive lobbying to proactive narrative engineering. Influencers with substantial conservative audiences are flown into Israel, presented with carefully curated itineraries, and encouraged to post favourable content across their platforms. While these visits may be framed as incidental, or even as efforts to strengthen ties, the underlying goal appears strategic: to counterbalance the decline in narrative dominance and restore loyalty within a key U.S. demographic, the right-wing conservative base, that has recently begun to fracture.
The reputational damage caused by the defection of figures once seen as reliable allies of Israel in the American media landscape is considerable. Israel’s outreach to alternative voices within the same ideological space suggests a deliberate attempt to replace dissenting influencers with new, media-savvy surrogates capable of restoring narrative control.
This effort reflects a broader trend in how public perception is managed. Rather than relying solely on government-to-government lobbying or traditional news outlets, states increasingly target public opinion directly – using influencers as intermediaries. Academic research on Israeli intelligence-media relations confirms that these strategies are not new. A 2014 study outlines four key tactics frequently deployed by Israeli intelligence services: concealing media ties, exploiting patriotic sentiment, engaging in psychological warfare, and co-opting influential voices. These methods, once confined to covert operations, have since evolved into public-facing campaigns tailored for today’s social media landscape.
Trump’s earlier warnings about Israel “losing the PR war” foreshadowed this shift. What began as concern over reputational damage is now being countered with curated storytelling and influencer mobilisation. The media ecosystem is shaped not by open debate, but by strategic visibility, where alignment with state-approved communications offers access, and dissent invites discreditation. Through targeted partnerships, selective platforming, and reward-based engagement, Israel ensures that the narrative remains within favourable bounds.
When the Narrative Cracks, Truth Spills Through
This has been a long time coming. For decades, Israel maintained a powerful hold over global perception, often insulating itself from scrutiny. A declassified CIA document from 1978 acknowledged patterns of influence involving the strategic promotion of pro-Israel narratives within American political and media circles. It noted how criticism was not countered in open debate but rather deflected and reframed, bolstered by the support of lobby groups, media alliances, and political favour. Dissenting voices were sidelined, while favourable ones were amplified. This tight control over narrative helped sustain impunity and preserve international backing, irrespective of the realities unfolding on the ground.
But something changed when the genocide in Gaza began to unfold live. The images were no longer filtered through spokespeople or press briefings. They were raw, unedited, and human. Livestreamed destruction, grieving parents, and dying children filled global timelines in a way that spin could not contain.
The Emerging Pattern is Unmistakable
When high-profile figures voice genuine moral concern about Gaza, they are discredited. Their integrity is attacked, their patriotism questioned, and their motives portrayed as being influenced by foreign powers. Accusations of receiving funding from countries like Qatar are often made without evidence, serving less as factual claims and more as attempts to silence uncomfortable truths. The irony is hard to ignore: Jared Kushner, Donald Trump’s own son-in-law, received a $1.5 billion investment from Qatari interests, while Trump’s sons continue to pursue active business dealings in the Gulf state. Yet, their allegiance has not been questioned.
By contrast, those who maintain a favourable narrative, regardless of what is happening on the ground, are rewarded. Israel’s strategic courting of right-wing influencers reflects this approach. When headlines can no longer be suppressed, the focus shifts to controlling who tells the story. Keep the narrators on script, and the perception remains intact. Control the message, and you shape the reality.
This is where we are now: a world where image overshadows innocence, and propaganda prevails. In the war for public opinion, the casualty is not just truth, it’s accountability.
