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WASHINGTON D.C. – In an unprecedented turn of events, Donald Trump has become the first presidential candidate to face simultaneous interference from two foreign powers—one working to aid his campaign and the other aiming to derail it, according to former U.S. officials and cybersecurity experts.
“Russia wants Trump. Iran doesn’t. Those are clear,” said Mike Hamilton, a cybersecurity analyst and former government official, in an interview with USA TODAY.
As U.S. intelligence agencies continue to investigate, the methods of these foreign actors are coming into sharper focus. Much of the interference involves the use of deep fakes, false influencers, and other forms of propaganda spread via social media—tactics seen in previous elections.
However, the most valuable targets for these foreign operatives are the internal communications of the Trump and Kamala Harris presidential campaigns. U.S. officials and private cybersecurity analysts have revealed that Iran recently conducted a sophisticated “spear phishing” operation, successfully obtaining and leaking sensitive Trump campaign documents. These included a dossier on potential GOP running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance, which was shared with major media outlets.
Russia, meanwhile, is believed to have used similar tactics to boost Trump’s candidacy in 2016, aiding his rise to the GOP nomination and eventual victory over Hillary Clinton. This time, Russia continues its support for Trump, while Iran, worried about Trump’s hardline stance on its nuclear program and regional ambitions, has turned to the same playbook, allegedly hacking and leaking materials from Trump’s campaign.
“The fact that we have direct knowledge of foreign governments interfering in our elections is a huge cause for concern,” said Adam Marrè, a former FBI Special Agent who specialized in cyber investigations. Marrè suggested that while foreign interference in U.S. elections is not new, this might be the first time the American public is fully aware of such efforts in real time.
The Trump campaign has yet to comment on these hacking incidents. Although Russia has not yet engaged in a “hack and leak” operation in this election cycle, cybersecurity experts warn that there’s still time for such activities to unfold before election day.
“Buckle up,” warned Chris Krebs, former director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). “Someone is running the 2016 playbook,” he posted on X, adding that more efforts to disrupt the election are likely on the horizon.
Krebs also noted a troubling development: the “Russification of Iranian info ops,” which he described as a “nasty” evolution in foreign election interference tactics. He emphasized that these adversaries have their own objectives, and American citizens, regardless of political affiliation, are the targets.
The Trump campaign acknowledged the hack the same day that Politico reported receiving internal Trump campaign documents from an anonymous source, including a dossier on Vance and another on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio. The campaign condemned any media outlets that would publish the leaked materials, accusing them of doing “the bidding of America’s enemies.”
The incident echoes the 2016 election, where stolen and leaked emails from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta were widely published, leading to accusations of a double standard from Clinton supporters.
While Russia continues to support Trump, U.S. intelligence officials have also flagged potential meddling by other countries, including China. These nations are likely attempting to sow division within the American electorate, according to officials from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
Adam Hickey, a former deputy assistant attorney general who oversaw efforts to counter Russian election interference, warned that this could be the beginning of more complex foreign interference in U.S. elections. He expressed concern that such hacks, even if they don’t change the outcome of the election, could erode public trust in the electoral process.
The FBI is currently investigating the Iranian hack of the Trump campaign, while the Harris campaign has also reported being targeted by a failed spear phishing attack.
“Every country has a stake in this election,” Hamilton said. “Whether they’re overt like Iran or working quietly like Russia, they’re all pursuing their own preferred outcomes.”
John Tyson
