He’s a Master of Outrage on X. The Pay Isn’t Great.
An online creator went from a “nobody” to a conspiratorial sensation on X. What he gets in return is less clear.
Dominick McGee was walking into the White House in April and couldn’t believe his luck. He was a self-proclaimed “nobody” just three years ago when he started working alone from his apartment, posting right-wing content and conspiracy theories to his X account. Now he was invited into the very center of American power.
Mr. McGee, 31, was there to ask questions at a press briefing for new media — a move by President Trump to welcome more people outside traditional news organizations.
“Is there any possibility,” he asked, “for names such as Barack Hussein Obama, Hillary Rodham Clinton, to ever, just possibly, get investigated?”
Karoline Leavitt, the press secretary, called the question “refreshing.”
Mr. McGee is one of the most prominent right-wing influencers on X, with 1.5 million followers and billions of views. He was ranked the third-most-influential user on the platform in January last year by one analytics firm, behind Elon Musk, the site’s owner, and Andrew Tate, a notorious right-wing misogynist.
Mr. McGee is a longtime Trump supporter who thrives on X because he is a master of outrage: He uses viral videos to incite furious debate, posts misleading political attacks against prominent Democrats to rile up MAGA devotees and curries favor with the online right by trading in the kinds of antisemitism that has infused some online communities. Though he was barred from the platform in 2023 and kicked from its revenue program in 2024 over some of his posts, neither punishment lasted very long and he quickly bounced back.
Most prominent online creators keep their finances a secret and their lives hidden from public view. Mr. McGee opened up his life, and his books, to The New York Times, shining a rare light on the world of right-wing influence.
Making a Living
Mr. McGee has earned nearly $100,000 from X’s revenue program since it was introduced in 2023. He made another $62,023 from subscribers to his X account.
