Who gets to own ‘America’ online?

The handle @America is a valuable account name on any social media network—and in many cases, it’s also a right-wing calling card.

As the presidential election looms, America and its imagery have become increasingly partisan. That’s especially true online, where @USA on Instagram and @America on X post increasingly alt-right content. Meanwhile, the “patriot” accounts of Facebook are frequently shaming liberals, and the flag emoji has grown into a Trumpist symbol.

Across the U.S., patriotism is on the decline. At the time of Donald Trump’s election in 2016, 81% of Americans considered themselves “extremely” or “very proud” of America, per Gallup. Now, it sits at 67%, still far from its peak. Both Trump and Kamala Harris have used loving their country as a campaign tactic. But, when it comes to America-themed accounts online, the right tends to dominate.

For so many, these online spaces are the closest there is to a “town hall,” a free space to think and form political opinions. If the right owns “America,” how can we have fair debate?

The right’s influencer of an online “America”

The Instagram handle @USA, which has over one million followers, started innocuously enough. Its first post dates back to 2022, in commemoration of 9/11. And yet, just a year later, the account started posting clips of Trump triumphantly entering a UFC arena and AI-generated images of Trump surrounded by women (caption: his “rizz was so powerful”). Now, the account’s story is clogged with Elon Musk reposts and links to buy T-shirts from the controversial pro-Trump advocacy group Turning Point USA.

Instagram’s other generic patriotic account, @America, attempts to remain non-partisan. That is, if you ignore who the account is following (Dana White, Joe Rogan, and the list goes on). Even as it posts gloried videos of bald eagles, the account’s comments are flooded by Trump supporters. On videos restoring flags, users comment about their other favorite flag: The Trump one. In a video honoring lost American soldiers, commenters railed not only against Biden, but against small Bud Light cans in the clip.

On Facebook, @Patriot posts videos of the waving American flag—and writes about “Scamala Harris.” @GreatAmericanPatriots creates graphics to call out some favorite liberal favorites. In just one day, Jack Smith was “OBLITERATED” and Barack Obama proved himself a “LOSER!,” per their account. Facebook groups are among the largest strongholds of patriotism-cum-Trumpism. Groups “Proud to Be an American” sport thousands of members, while throwing around alt-right items.

Under Elon Musk, X has been the most extreme in regulating these handles. On Saturday, X booted the owner of @America, reassigning the coveted title to Elon Musk’s Donald Trump-supporting America PAC. Now, @America is reposting Fox News clips while trashing MSNBC. Meanwhile, @USA remains banned on the platform.

Stars and stripes

Across these platforms, the American flag itself has become a calling card for Trumpism. On X, Trump–supporting accounts put the American flag in their account name. The comments of America PAC’s posts are flooded with AI-generated images of American flag designs. On Instagram, @AmericanFlag cross-posts with the Trumpy @USA, and has comments full of MAGA heads.

That shouldn’t be surprising. Per YouGov, only 49% of Democrats are “very positive” on the flag, compared to 83% of Republicans. For those under 30, that figure drops to 41%. In fact, it’s younger people, and specifically younger Democrats, who show the most wavering in their patriotism. Only 12% of Democrats ages 18-34% would call themselves “extremely proud” of America.

Still, there are the detractors. The same videos posted to Instagram under @America are posted to TikTok, where the comments mostly remain apolitical. On Reddit, r/USA tells its members to “vote blue” and sports links to pro-Harris content. But on those giants like Instagram, Facebook, and X, “America” is mostly saved for the right.