Marco Rubio Directs Diplomats to Scale Up Anti-Propaganda Efforts on Platform X

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio has instructed American diplomats to make greater use of the social media platform X and to work with other U.S. government partners to push back against what he described as “foreign anti-American propaganda,” according to a State Department cable reviewed by officials.

The cable, dated March 31 in Washington, set out steps for identifying and challenging foreign influence operations and false claims that it said “pose a direct threat to U.S. national security and fuel hostility toward American interests.” It urged diplomats to coordinate across the U.S. government “as appropriate,” and it specifically pointed to the Pentagon’s Psychological Operations, previously known as Military Information Support Operations (MISO).

The message did not spell out how such cooperation would work. MISO and its successor have traditionally focused on influencing adversary forces in conflict settings, and the history of military information activities has at times created tension with U.S. diplomats. The cable’s emphasis on interagency coordination places the State Department’s public-facing work alongside capabilities that have been used in battlefield contexts.

The cable also encouraged diplomats to amplify reliable information and call out fabricated content by using tools available on X, including the platform’s crowdsourced “community notes” feature. It additionally referenced other, unspecified artificial intelligence tools as part of the effort to surface trustworthy material and expose fakes.

In a statement, the State Department said it would “continue to take an assertive stance on this pernicious issue” and would use “every tool in our diplomatic toolkit,” while also protecting Americans’ right to free expression. The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Rubio’s cable or what collaboration with its psychological operations units might entail.

The cable’s references come against a backdrop of earlier U.S. military information efforts. MISO was linked to U.S. messaging against Islamic State in Syria, including a 2015 incident in which tens of thousands of graphic, cartoon-style leaflets depicting recruits being pushed into a meatgrinder were dropped over the group’s area of operations.

Past activity has also drawn scrutiny. Under the first Trump administration, Pentagon psychological operations teams used fake social media accounts to spread doubts about China’s COVID-19 vaccine, despite objections from State Department officials, according to prior reporting. That history underscores an uncertainty now facing diplomats: how the State Department will manage coordination while maintaining its own standards and avoiding internal friction.

X and its owner, xAI, did not immediately reply to requests for comment. The platform has faced routine criticism for enabling disinformation after Elon Musk reduced moderation and safety teams following his 2022 purchase of the service then called Twitter. X has said it is designed to prioritize free speech and that “community notes” are preferable to centralized moderation.

Musk is described as a powerful Trump ally, and X has become a major hub for pro-Trump social media influencers. Separately, xAI was acquired last month by Musk’s rocket company SpaceX, ahead of what is expected to be a landmark Wall Street debut that would place X and the defense contractor within the same corporate structure.