LONDON — An analysis of 10,000 posts by former US President Donald Trump, conducted by British intelligence agencies, has identified systematic patterns of disinformation that have influenced both domestic and international political discourse. The report, circulated among Whitehall departments this week, concludes that Trump’s communication strategy relied on a repertoire of rhetorical devices designed to undermine trust in democratic institutions.
The analysis, carried out by GCHQ in collaboration with the Foreign Office’s disinformation unit, examined posts from Trump’s social media accounts between 2015 and 2021. It found that approximately 30 per cent of the posts contained verifiably false claims, with a further 20 per cent employing misleading statements or selective truths. The most common techniques included the use of baseless conspiracy theories, ad hominem attacks on opponents, and the repeated assertion of claims refuted by fact-checkers.
British officials emphasised that the report is not an intervention in US politics but rather a strategic assessment of how state actors might emulate such tactics. “The Trump model has been studied by hostile states seeking to weaken public trust in electoral integrity,” said a senior Foreign Office source. “The playbook is now widely understood: amplify division, delegitimise the opposition, and create a parallel reality for supporters.”
The analysis highlighted key themes. First, posts about the 2020 election, which Trump lost, formed the largest single category of disinformation. More than 2,000 posts claimed the election was “stolen” or “rigged,” despite no evidence of widespread fraud. Second, attacks on mainstream media, labelling outlets “fake news,” were present in 1,500 posts. Third, the use of visceral language — describing opponents as “traitors” or “enemies of the people” — appeared in 800 posts, a tactic linked to the erosion of democratic norms.
The report draws on work by academics at the University of Oxford and King’s College London, who have modelled the spread of disinformation. It notes that Trump’s posts were retweeted or shared millions of times, often amplified by automated bots and coordinated networks. The intelligence agencies assess that the infrastructure for such influence operations remains intact, even after Twitter permanently suspended Trump’s account in 2021.
British intelligence has been increasingly focused on disinformation as a national security concern. In 2020, the UK established the National Security Communications Unit to counter false narratives. The Trump report is part of a broader effort to understand how political leaders can weaponise social media. Officials stress that the findings are not unique to Trump; similar patterns have been observed in leaders from Russia, Hungary, and Brazil.
Critics have questioned the timing of the report’s release, coming just months before a US presidential election in which Trump is the Republican frontrunner. The Foreign Office insisted the analysis was initiated in 2022 and is routine intelligence-sharing with allies. “We do not take sides in other countries’ elections,” the source said. “Our job is to inform policymakers of the threat landscape.”
The report concludes with recommendations for social media platforms, including stricter enforcement of policies against misleading claims by political leaders. However, it acknowledges that the genie may be out of the bottle: “Disinformation as a political tool is now embedded in the global information ecosystem.”
