Beloved Ex-MAGA Official Registers As Foreign Agent In Surprising Twist

A once-trusted figure in Donald Trump’s political machine is now making headlines for a move few saw coming. Brad Parscale, the campaign manager who helped engineer Trump’s 2016 digital juggernaut and briefly led the 2020 reelection effort, has registered as a foreign agent for Israel in a multimillion-dollar deal to reshape social media narratives targeting young Americans.

According to filings under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA), Parscale’s new firm, Clocktower X LLC, signed a $6 million contract with the Israeli government. His company will provide “strategic communications, planning, and media services” to the State of Israel through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Parscale’s primary point of contact is Eran Shayovich, chief of staff at Israel’s Foreign Ministry. Clocktower X is expected to deliver a massive digital campaign across U.S. platforms, with the contract specifically directing that 80 percent of content be tailored for Gen Z audiences.

The campaign’s scope is ambitious. Israel wants Parscale’s team to generate at least 50 million impressions each month across TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, podcasts, and “other relevant digital and broadcast outlets.” The contract was first highlighted by the Quincy Institute’s Responsible Statecraft.

It won’t stop with simple ads. Responsible Statecraft reported that Clocktower will create new websites designed to influence how AI systems, such as ChatGPT, respond to questions about Israel. The firm is also expected to deploy MarketBrew AI, a search engine optimization tool, to elevate pro-Israel narratives on Google and Bing.

Topeka, Kansas, USA, October 6, 2018

In effect, the strategy aims not just to reach young Americans where they scroll, but also to tilt the algorithms that shape online discourse.

The pivot marks a striking new chapter for Parscale. Once seen as the digital wizard behind Trump’s online fundraising and advertising dominance, he was demoted during the 2020 campaign and left the operation entirely in October of that year.

Now, Parscale is at the helm of Clocktower X and serves as chief strategy officer for Salem Media Group, a Christian conservative media company that owns radio stations and produces programs hosted by Hugh Hewitt, Larry Elder, and Lara Trump. According to Responsible Statecraft, Salem properties could be used to distribute Israel’s messaging.

The deal comes as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu openly champions social media as a key front in global conflict. “We’re going to have to use the tools of battle, the weapons change over time,” Netanyahu said during a meeting with pro-Israel influencers last week. “You can’t fight today with swords, that doesn’t work very well…the most important ones are the social media.”

He even pointed to efforts by investors — including Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, Israel’s largest private donor to the IDF — to acquire TikTok, calling the move “consequential.”

Polls suggest why Israel is turning to Parscale’s expertise. A July Gallup survey found that only nine percent of Americans aged 18–34 supported Israel’s military operations in Gaza. Broader polling has shown a decline in favorability toward Israel across multiple demographics.

Parscale’s campaign is tasked with reversing that trend, beginning with what the contract describes as an “initial cultural, demographic, and sentiment research report” to be completed within 30 days.

Parscale’s deal follows other U.S. firms working with Israel. Havas Media Network has contracted multiple American companies, including Democratic-aligned SKDKnickerbocker, which recently ended a $600,000 project running pro-Israel bot farms. Clocktower’s contract was signed just days after SKDK deregistered its work.