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9 Sep, 7 tweets, 3 min read
These teen memers say it all started when obscure brands selling cheap MAGA merch offered to pay them to display ads to their rapidly growing conservative Instagram audiences.

Little did they know, members of Trump’s inner circle would soon come knocking.
huffpost.com/entry/trump-in…
Since the 2020 election, these meme moguls have quietly collected payments to run ads for the Trump campaign’s “Election Defense Fund”; former senior Trump aide Jason Miller’s new social media network, GETTR; and, even the National Republican Senatorial Committee.
Some of these discreet ad deals were brokered directly between teens and former members of the Trump White House, communications obtained by HuffPost reveal.
huffpost.com/entry/trump-in…
Not many kids can name-drop major political figures (or a world-infamous pillow tycoon) on their résumés before they’re old enough to vote. For some, their Instagram accounts are now serious income streams.
huffpost.com/entry/trump-in… Image
Most of the ads come in the form of memes with captions urging people to click customized links in the memers’ Instagram bios, which lead to the promoted parties’ websites.

For a recent campaign, Memers earned $0.85 per conversion with a cap of 25,000 conversions — or $21,250. Image
“A lot of this stuff is very down-low,” said a memer with hundreds of thousands of followers.

He and other memers who’ve been paid to run ads also regularly post far-right conspiracy theories, anti-vaccine propaganda and other incendiary clickbait. huffpost.com/entry/trump-in…
HuffPost senior reporter @JessReports talked to many of the teen memers and dove into the shadowy advertising tools being used by some notable Republicans here: huffpost.com/entry/trump-in…

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10 Sep
Visit the 9/11 museum today and you’ll find displays emphasizing the towers’ majesty and architectural ingenuity. The museum’s “historical exhibition” recreates the morning of 9/11, down to the minute — with just cursory mentions of its complicated legacy. huffpost.com/entry/9-11-mus…
The wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Islamophobia and racism, the chronic health problems of 9/11 first responders — there are few moments of confronting uncomfortable truths. It results in an overly simplistic and uncritical narrative, promoting an excessive sense of patriotism.
As the 20th anniversary approaches, the museum is facing an existential crisis and financial woes due to its reliance on tourists.

Several scholars who have studied the museum told HuffPost the museum is full of crucial problems, like its lack of context. huffp.st/bXyZqtE
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10 Sep
#TW Suicide: Dr. Phillip W. Schnarrs was just ten years old when he first attempted suicide. This #WorldSuicidePreventionDay, Schnarrs tells his story, looking back at life as a gay youth and sharing his research into LGBTQ+ mental health. huffpost.com/entry/gay-suic…
Recent findings from @TrevorProject show that 42% of LGBTQ+ youth seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, including more than half of transgender and nonbinary youth. huffp.st/C4AUHQF
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10 Sep
Miriam Jacobson was just 13 years old when her childhood came crashing down. It's been 20 years since the #September11 attacks that continue to impact her life in unexpected, life-shattering ways. huffp.st/SjCTUZ9
She first heard about the attack while in her 8th-grade science class. Her father, Steven, worked on the 110th floor of the World Trade Center.

“My thoughts quickly turned to my daddy. How was he going to get out? How quickly could he run down 110 flights of stairs?” she writes.
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15 Feb
To say Cicely Tyson broke down barriers would be an understatement. In honor of the legendary actor, who died at age 96 on Jan. 28, HuffPost asked several of today’s Black leading ladies to define what Tyson’s legacy meant to them. huffp.st/WssIPBX #BHM
“When speaking of or remembering Cicely Tyson, legacy is not enough to convey the breadth and scope of what she shared with us, what she leaves behind... With a career full of ‘first,’ she forged a path for those to come after her (including me),” @TraceeEllisRoss said. Image
“Cicely Tyson's legacy is a blueprint for Black artists to cultivate, nurture and enjoy their craft while simultaneously centering Blackness unapologetically. She led from the front,” @itsgabrielleu said.
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26 Oct 20
Women candidates win more often than men candidates, and women of color tend to win even more than white women. If #womenwin, why are political parties so reticent to put women candidates on the ballot? womenwin.vote
In 2018, HuffPost and Good Fight Media produced 'Storm The Gates,' a documentary that followed three women inspired to run for office that year. vimeo.com/297156029
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23 Oct 20
Trump says "I am the least racist person in this room" at #Debates2020. At the first presidential debate, Trump refused to condemn white supremacy. Instead he told right-wing extremist group The Proud Boys to “Stand back and stand by.” huffp.st/YXU8xkr
The comment drew swift backlash. Kamala Harris told MSNBC viewers that Trump’s rhetoric was “a dog whistle through a bullhorn.” huffp.st/cb2Epml
The Proud Boys, on the other hand, celebrated Trump’s callout. “Trump basically said to go f**k them up. This makes me so happy,” one prominent Proud Boy said. huffp.st/nvZ7bRH
Read 4 tweets

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