Ed and Brian Krassenstein were there when Michael Cohen got sentenced on Wednesday — there, meaning the weird corner of the internet they dominate. A corner called #Resistance Twitter, where people tweet endlessly — often with the Caps Lock on — about how corrupt they think President Trump is.
The Krassensteins came to #Resistance Twitter from their lives as internet guys. You know, guys who just make money from the internet. The twin brothers own a lot of websites, and they run ads on them, and then they sell them. It’s worked out well. They live with their families in matching giant houses across a canal in Fort Myers, Florida.
Videos by VICE
Now the Krassensteins have amassed a combined 1.9 million followers, and they’re trying to turn the #Resistance into a business. That’s led them to get more than a few tweets sent their way accusing them of being the corrupt ones.
But they say they haven’t made much money from it, and there’s a more important goal: “I want other people to see our tweets and see what the truth is,” said Brian. “If it makes one person go to Google and fact-check what the president says, then I think that’s worth it.”
VICE News went to Fort Myers to watch the Krassensteins do their thing on the day Cohen was sentenced.
This segment originally aired December 12, 2018 on VICE News Tonight on HBO.