The Emily Hart Saga | Part 1

A 22-year-old medical student in India, identified only as 'Sam,' created the AI-generated MAGA influencer Emily Hart, a pickup-driving, Trump-supporting persona that gained thousands of followers within weeks through right-wing engagement baiting and AI assistance. Sam told WIRED senior culture writer Ej Dickson that what began as a fun side-hustle took a disturbing turn, as he used the persona to grift conservative men.

The Emily Hart Saga | Part 1 View the full episode transcript. Emily Hart was a pickup-driving, Trump-supporting blonde bombshell who frequently posted photos on Instagram along with captions about “deporting illegals.” Within a few weeks she gained thousands of followers. It was like she was engineered to go viral in the MAGA-sphere — because she was. A 22-year-old medical student in India who goes by “Sam” is the person behind Emily Hart, and he shepherded her to viral fame with a combination of right-wing engagement baiting and AI assistance. Reporter Ej Dickson, who wrote about Sam and Emily Hart for WIRED, describes how he was able to grift so many conservative men. And Sam himself explains how something that began as a fun side-hustle took a disturbing turn. Guests: Ej Dickson https://www.wired.com/author/ej-dickson/ , senior culture writer at Wired “Sam,” creator of AI MAGA Influencer Emily Hart Further Reading/Listening: This Scammer Used an AI-Generated MAGA Girl to Grift ‘Super Dumb’ Men https://www.wired.com/story/ai-generated-maga-girls/ — Ej Dickson, Wired AI‑generated influencers: A new wave of cultural exploitation https://theconversation.com/ai-generated-influencers-a-new-wave-of-cultural-exploitation-248956 — Ateqah Khaki & Vinita Srivastava, The Conversation Meet Brandi Love, the Pro-Trump Porn Star Who Writes for The Federalist https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-brandi-love-the-pro-trump-porn-star-who-writes-for-the-federalist/ — Marlow Stern, The Daily Beast Challenges under India’s university reservation system https://theworld.org/stories/2026/06/19/challenges-under-indias-university-reservation-system — Namrata Kolachalam, The World Want to give us feedback on the show? Shoot us an email at CloseAllTabs@KQED.org mailto:CloseAllTabs@KQED.org Follow us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/closealltabspod/ and https://www.tiktok.com/@closealltabs TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@closealltabs Episode Transcript A full transcript will be available 1–2 workdays after the episode’s publication.