A right-wing social media figure with close ties to the Trump White House is facing intense criticism for his role in what observers describe as a dangerous escalation of tensions during protests in Minneapolis. Nick Sortor, who boasts 1.2 million followers on X, has been accused of producing inflammatory content that directly feeds into the forceful actions of federal immigration agents.
From Portland to the White House: Sortor's Rapid Ascent
Sortor's relationship with the administration was solidified after his arrest in Portland, Oregon, in October 2025. Following a physical altercation where he seized a burning American flag from a protester, he was briefly detained. Multnomah County prosecutors declined to press charges. In the aftermath, he received a personal message of support from then-President Donald Trump via a White House aide, stating, "Great job. We're behind you 100%."
Days later, Sortor was a participant in a White House roundtable discussion on "antifa," where he prominently displayed the flag recovered in Portland. The administration's backing continued, with then-White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt publicly defending him and the Department of Justice threatening city authorities over his arrest.
A Pattern of Escalation in Minneapolis
Sortor travelled to Minneapolis in late December 2025, following other influencers who had focused on claims of fraud within immigrant communities. His activities there have been characterised by partisan cheerleading. He published video of a hotel refusing to book Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agents—leading to the hotel losing its franchise—and appeared on Laura Ingraham's Fox News show.
Critics draw a "direct line" between the content produced by Sortor and similar figures and the violent, occasionally lethal, actions of federal agents. His social media feeds have repeatedly celebrated the use of force by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Border Patrol officers against protesters. In posts on X and Telegram, he has shared videos of agents pepper-spraying individuals, adding captions like "LMAO!" and "This is SO satisfying to watch. NO MERCY!"
Sortor also appeared to admit to driving his truck at protesters in Minneapolis, claiming he was forced to do so after being surrounded. This narrative was amplified by right-wing outlets, though alternative footage from Mercado Media suggested Sortor had initiated conflict by hitting a female protester before accelerating towards a crowd.
A Symbiotic Relationship and a Controversial Past
Analysts describe the connection between figures like Sortor and the Trump administration as symbiotic. "There's a plausible deniability for the politicians, but it does help them to sort of move the Overton window," said Arne Holverscheid, a political science researcher at Northwestern University.
This relationship persists despite Sortor's personal legal history. Court records from Kentucky show he has been convicted for criminal mischief and has two DUI charges. He was placed on probation in January 2022 but absconded by June 2023, leading to a warrant for his arrest. Kentucky's corrections department still lists him as an absconded offender.
Jeff Tischauser, a senior researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center, argues that Sortor's rise was facilitated by changes at X under Elon Musk, which he says favoured right-wing accounts. "The script is to go out and create content that will falsely label their perceived enemies as domestic terrorists so that they can drum up support within Trump's base," Tischauser stated.
Sortor's journey from obscurity to the White House was marked by partisan coverage of events like the East Palestine derailment and Maui wildfires, which he framed as failures of the Biden administration. His efforts were personally acknowledged by Donald Trump before the 2024 election in a letter thanking him as a "social media warrior."
The Guardian contacted Nick Sortor for comment on the details of this reporting via the email listed on his X account but received no response by the deadline.
