Tech Brief
They look like Harris ads. Trump backers bought them.

Analysis by Will Oremus and Trisha Thadani
October 30, 2024 at 9:10 a.m. EDT

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They look like Harris ads. Trump backers bought them.

A pro-Trump organization partly funded by Elon Musk has ramped up a campaign of misleading Facebook ads, posing as a pro-Harris group called “Progress 2028” to present false claims about the Democratic candidate’s platform.

“Progress 2028” has placed 13 different ads on the social network in October, 11 within the past week, according to Meta’s political ad library. Collectively, they have been viewed millions of times by users in swing states. The ads are designed to look like they support the Harris campaign but tout controversial policy stances she doesn’t endorse. They include ensuring undocumented immigrants can vote and receive Medicare benefits, instituting mandatory gun buybacks, and banning fracking. “Drop a comment to thank Kamala,” the ads say.

Behind the ads is a group called Building America’s Future, which receives significant funding from Musk.


An ad paid for by Progress 2028 that deceptively conveys Kamala Harris as a candidate that supports a fracking ban. (Washington Post illustration; Meta Ad Library)

Open Secrets has reported that Progress 2028 — a name that calls to mind a left-wing version of the conservative political initiative Project 2025 — was registered as a fictitious name with the state of Virginia in September by Building America’s Future, a political organization. The tech blog 404 Media reported Tuesday on the group’s expanded campaign of “Progress 2028” Facebook ads.

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By Will Oremus
Will Oremus writes about the ideas, products and power struggles shaping the digital world for The Washington Post. Before joining The Post in 2021, he spent eight years as Slate's senior technology writer and two years as a senior writer for OneZero at Medium. follow on X @willoremus

By Trisha Thadani
Trisha Thadani joined The Washington Post in 2023 from the San Francisco Chronicle. She covers the technology industry.follow on X @TrishaThadani