Florida Rep. Anna Paulina Luna backed new disclosure rules for political influencers during a discussion involving New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani. She argued Americans should know when influencers discussing domestic policy receive payment. Luna said current requirements do not force those influencers to disclose such arrangements. “The days of the Wild West for influencing are now over,” she said.
Newsmax raised the issue during an interview with Luna, which she later shared on X. The host described Mamdani as running “a group with over 200 paid influencers.” He also referenced a newly created Signal group formed from influencers who supported Mamdani’s election campaign. The group was using encrypted messages to distribute “data points that they can then push,” according to the host.
Luna responded that lawmakers were already discussing “disclosures similar to political disclosures” for influencers engaging in domestic policy. “They don’t, and they’re not required to actually have to disclose that,” she said. She also noted that influencers can make substantial amounts of money.
“It’s interesting, you’ll see someone that has no background in foreign policy, no government experience,” Luna continued. Such influencers can suddenly become “subject matter experts” and promote positions “that they might not even believe in.” Whether they act from genuine interest or receive payment, “no matter what, should be disclosed to the American people.”
Anna Paulina Luna’s Mamdani Influencer Push Draws Trump Questions
Luna’s call for greater disclosure quickly widened into questions over whether the same standards would apply across the political spectrum.
“How about the Trump influencers?” one user asked. Another pointed directly at the administration, writing, “You’re holding the Whitehouse to the same standard?”
Others focused on Republican-linked influencer operations. “Maybe you’ll ask Pete Hegseth for some transparency about his Social Media Army while you are at it,” one response stated. A separate user asked, “IS MAGA disclosing all the influencers they’re paying? Nope.”
Some responses backed the broader disclosure principle. “If Political TV advertisements need to have a ‘paid for by’ disclaimer- So should social media,” one user wrote. Another stated, “It has to end. We need to know who’s getting paid and by whom.”
Luna said lawmakers are discussing disclosure requirements for influencers involved in domestic policy. Her remarks did not identify a specific bill, timeline or enforcement mechanism.
