This week, we learned that right-wing conspiracy theorist and popular radio star/podcaster Dan Bongino will serve as Trump’s Deputy Director of the FBI under Director Kash Patel. This is a role that is traditionally held by someone more experienced with the bureau – and someone without a large public profile or audience (without clicking, can you name any of the previous ones?).

Bongino, on the other hand, has quite a big (conspiracy and grift-heavy) digital footprint, which we’ll get into below.

But first…

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Digital ad spending, by the numbers:

FWIW, U.S. political advertisers spent about $10 million on Facebook and Instagram ads last week. Here were the top ten spenders nationwide:

Following a big trend we’ve seen from prominent Democrats this year, Sen. Bernie Sanders is now running ads from his campaign disclaimer, Friends of Bernie Sanders, to push back against the Trump administration and take advantage of this major fundraising moment. The ad creative makes smart use of the very viral Bernie catchphrase, “I am once again asking…”

ICYMI, Elon Musk’s PAC, Building America’s Future, is getting involved in the Wisconsin Supreme Court race and attacking the Democratic candidate Susan Crawford (btw, here’s a fact-check on that ad). They spent over $6,000 on Facebook + Instagram ads but had one major oops moment where they used a picture of the wrong Susan Crawford…

Meanwhile, political advertisers spent just over $1.7 million on Google and YouTube ads last week. These were the top ten spenders nationwide:

The Koch-backed organization Americans for Prosperity spent $49,000 on Google + YouTube ads largely promoting their new project, Protect Prosperity, trying to sell the Trump administration’s tax agenda (and still ringing the Bidenomics bell). The ads seem to be primarily targeted at DC and swingy states like Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Michigan.

On X (formerly Twitter), political advertisers in the U.S. have spent around $1.1 million on ads in 2025. According to X’s political ad disclosure, here are the top spenders year to date:

…and lastly, on Snapchat, political advertisers in the U.S. have spent around $105,000 on ads in 2025. Here are the top spenders year to date:

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Dan Bongino apparently sh*tposted his way to the top of the FBI

On Monday, it was announced that Dan Bongino, the former Secret Service officer, popular right-wing podcaster, and conspiracy theorist, will serve as Trump’s Deputy Director of the FBI under FBI Director Kash Patel. The decision has many people deeply concerned – especially since, per the NYT (gift link), this duo is “the least experienced leadership pair in the [FBI’s] history.”

This puts those of us who are chronically online in a weird position. If you’re on the political Internet, you know that it feels like the biggest (and possibly worst) meme of all time at Bongino – who, btw, has repeatedly attacked the FBI on his socials – holds this role.

First, before we dig in, I want to provide a glimpse of Bongino’s online following:

Not accounting for duplicate followers, Dan Bongino has a following of around 19.5 million on major social media platforms. And while he’s stepping away from his popular radio show, The Dan Bongino Show, he will presumably retain access to these accounts throughout his time as Deputy Director. It bears saying: this is a remarkably large audience for someone in a role that presumably is meant to be fairly covert and non-political.

What comes to mind first, for me, however, whenever I think about Dan Bongino is his propensity for running grifty merch ads that utilize military-style words and branding and capitalize on his lib-baiting and his more outrageous content to rake in cash. (Of course, Bongino is far from the only person in MAGA world to do this).

In the past three months (Nov 2024 to Feb 2025), Dan Bongino spent ~$28,000 on Facebook + Instagram ads promoting his show’s merch. This isn’t inherently shocking – but that’s where the merch itself comes in. Here are examples of ads that have run under his name in the past three months:

Is Bongino the first FBI deputy director to have seemingly turned a profit selling shirts that feature an upside-down American flag and the words “I’m voting for the outlaw”? I have to believe so.

In fact, there are still currently ads running on Facebook + Instagram as of publication under Dan Bongino’s name.

Bongino isn’t officially leaving his show until March 14th – so it’s quite possible they will just keep running them until his show actually comes to an end. But until then… the Deputy Director of the FBI’s Meta account is selling $30 shirts that call Trump’s inauguration day “Liberation Day” paired with ad copy that encourages people to wear them to “rallies.”

One more thing…

There is a LOT you can read and listen to about the 2024 cycle, especially in regard to the digital world. One perspective that we don’t get to hear that much (and that, I believe, is an incredibly valuable one) is that of the digital directors and senior advisors who were actually out on the trail, executing a digital strategy – signing off on email copy, hitting post, filming TikToks, and so much more.

To that end, I asked three friends who served as Digital Director/Senior Advisor on high-profile races last year to share a few sentences about what they learned and their advice for 2026 and beyond:

Awo Eni, Digital Content Director for Friends of Sherrod Brown:

“My biggest takeaway from this cycle is there’s so much work to be done to truly figure out the audiences you need to reach online.

My advice for fellow digital directors is to give folks a chance that don’t have political backgrounds — you can teach people politics, you can’t teach creativity. And don’t be afraid to take risks and fight for ideas, no matter how small they may seem in the grand scheme of things. My advice for digi campaign staffers — find inspiration for this work in areas outside of politics.”

Alli Peters, Campaign Manager (fmrly Senior Campaign Advisor) for Adam Schiff For Senate

“Online audiences are savvier than ever—they literally make a game out of spotting ads and tuning them out. So, go against the grain! The most polished content ≠ the best content. But no amount of viral content or ad spend will save a campaign without a strong message, disciplined execution, and a clear persuasion + mobilization strategy. In 2026 and beyond, digital strategists must fight for a seat at the table early and push for true integration—comms, finance, digital, organizing, and paid media should work together, not in silos. Your capacity for earned media and fundraising will benefit.

Dems need to constantly rethink where and how they communicate. Voters sniff out inauthenticity—leaders who thrive in real, unscripted conversations will win. Think: what would the Daddy Gang actually want to hear on Call Her Daddy?

And one more thing: If your digital staff reports to comms, you’re doing it wrong. Digital isn’t an arm of comms—it’s its own discipline that requires strategic leadership and direct access to decision-makers. Treat it that way, and you’ll win more fights than you lose.”

Kasey O’Brien, Senior Advisor for Digital for Bob Casey for Senate

“One of my biggest takeaways from 2024 was the importance of creators and online spokespeople. The tactics for amplifying your message organically and through earned have changed dramatically with our changing media landscape. It’s no longer enough to send out press releases and pitches — your digital and communications teams need to be in lockstep in building an echo chamber and community of creators to drive your narrative. Folks in 2026 need to invest early in influencer programs & relationship building and ensure their digital team has a seat at the table in conversations about the message.”

More from around the internet:

• New analysis from the Center for Countering Digital Hate found that 277 million more posts containing hate speech and other harmful content could flood Meta platforms now that Zuck has changed up their content rules.

• Tumblr is financially backing Tapestry, a new app that aggregates feeds from across the open web and puts it all in one place for you.

• In case you were wondering if YouTube really is the place to be for podcasts… they just put out a report stating that they now have 1 billion monthly viewers for podcast content worldwide.

• In further proof that we are in an age of nostalgia, here is a prototype of a site that automatically turns your Bluesky account into a MySpace dupe.

That’s it for FWIW this week. This email was sent to 23,954 readers. If you enjoy reading this newsletter each week, would you mind sharing it on X/Twitter, Threads, or Bluesky? Have a tip, idea, or feedback? Reply directly to this email.

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