Fake Trump accounts on X continue to spread misinformation about Bangladesh

Since the fall of the Hasina led government, disinformation has been spread across social media sites with growing impunity.

X, previously known as Twitter, is the platform which enables the spread of misinformation due to Elon Musk's decision to remove its content moderation team. Two particular accounts known as @TrumpUpdateHQ and @thedonaldtriumph, have been posting and reposting far-right talking points, with some posts gaining thousands of views.

These accounts have posted multiple takes on Bangladesh and Chief Adviser Yunus, while pretending to be a secondary account of Donald Trump himself. 

According to information from X's help center, people can create parody, commentary, and fan accounts on X, but they must follow certain rules to ensure that the accounts do not cause confusion. Account names and bios must include words like "parody," "fake," "fan," and make it clear that these accounts are not affiliated with the original person or brand, says Rumor Scanner.

In addition to Donald Trump, X has seen fake accounts in the names of many famous personalities. Among them are fan or parody accounts in the names of Elon Musk, Vladimir Putin and other important figures. These accounts are also seen being verified in exchange for a certain fee. In 2021, X launched their paid subscription model, through which users can achieve Blue Tick verification by paying a certain monthly fee.

This means the posts from the account @TrumpUpdateHQ have nothing to do with Trump himself, and are merely using his name to gain traction among Trump's fans.

In November 2024 after Indian PM Modi released a statement on X congratulating Trump on his win and speaking of alleged violence against Hindu's in Bangladesh, @therealdonaldtriump, responded saying that he would "stand with Hindus facing violence in Bangladesh". This tweet was widely circulated as fact on social media before being proven false.

Another post from @TrumpUpdateHQ, was in regards to the Awami league holding a protest march on 10 November while carrying photos of Donald Trump, allegedly under the instructions of ex-PM Hasina. Among those who were arrested in the wake of the march were 10 men carrying Donald Trump placards. The fake X account claimed afterwards that the men in question were arrested simply for supporting Trump.

Yesterday on 29 December, the same account made another post celebrating India deporting 8 allegedly illegal immigrants back to Bangladesh, with many comments celebrating the event.

These 'parody' accounts push false or biased news that serves the far-right agenda, often railing against illegal immigration. It should be noted that much of these posts tend towards pro-rightwing, pro-Israel and pro-India content, and much of the Indian content has been specifically anti-Bangladesh.