Bluesky is weird. Honestly, if you just jumped over from X (formerly Twitter), the vibe shift is basically whiplash. It’s quiet. It’s mostly civil. But the biggest difference isn't the code or the "skeets"—it's the absolute, scorched-earth way the community handles political friction. Specifically, the "Block MAGA" movement has become a defining feature of the platform's culture.
You've probably seen people talking about it. Maybe you saw that JD Vance became the most blocked person on the app within 48 hours of joining in 2025. Or maybe you're just tired of the rage-bait that defined your old feed and want to know how to keep it out of your new one.
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Here is the thing: Blocking on Bluesky isn't just a "don't talk to me" button. It’s a community-wide defense mechanism.
The Rise of the Nuclear Block
On most social media apps, blocking is a lonely act. You see a troll, you click a button, they disappear for you. On Bluesky, it's a team sport. Because the app is built on the AT Protocol, it allows for something called "stackable moderation." This is a fancy way of saying you can outsource your blocking to people you trust.
When people talk about "Block MAGA on Bluesky," they are usually referring to Moderation Lists.
These are community-curated lists of accounts—often thousands of them—that you can subscribe to. Once you hit subscribe, you have a choice. You can either "Mute" the entire list or "Block" the entire list. If you choose block, those accounts are instantly erased from your experience. No replies, no mentions, no "Post from a user you blocked" placeholders. Just... gone.
It is often called the "Nuclear Block" because of how effectively it de-platforms accounts from your personal view. By mid-2025, data trackers like ClearSky showed that high-profile political figures were being blocked by hundreds of thousands of users simultaneously. It creates a digital "Blue Heaven" where certain ideologies simply don't exist for the user.
How to Actually Do It (The Quick Way)
If you're looking to clean up your feed, you don't have to hunt down accounts one by one. That’s a waste of time. Instead, you use the tools the community has already built.
- Find a Moderation List: Go to the "Moderation" tab in your settings. Search for "MAGA" or "Trump" in the lists section. You’ll see lists like the ones maintained by @skywatch.blue or other community moderators.
- Subscribe and Choose Your Fate: When you find a list, hit "Subscribe." A menu will pop up asking if you want to Mute or Block.
- The "Block All" Option: Choosing "Block" is the heavy-duty version. It prevents those accounts from ever seeing your posts or interacting with you.
Kinda intense? Yeah. But for a lot of people who fled X because of harassment, it’s the only reason they stay on Bluesky.
Why JD Vance Became a Case Study
In June 2025, Vice President JD Vance joined Bluesky. It didn't go well. Within twelve minutes, his account was actually suspended by an automated system that thought he was an impersonator. Once he was reinstated, the "block-o-sphere" went into overdrive.
According to Newsweek, he was blocked by over 111,000 people in just a couple of days.
This broke the previous record held by journalist Jesse Singal. What’s interesting here isn't just the numbers—it's the "why." Bluesky users have a very low tolerance for what they perceive as "engagement farming." When a big political figure joins and posts something controversial, the community doesn't argue with them. They don't "ratio" them. They just block and move on.
It’s a total rejection of the "outage economy" that keeps other platforms alive.
The Dark Side: When Lists Go Wrong
Now, I have to be honest with you. This system isn't perfect. It’s actually pretty messy sometimes.
Because these lists are curated by humans, they have human biases. There have been several instances where "Block MAGA" lists ended up including people who weren't MAGA at all. Sometimes a moderator adds someone because of a personal beef, or because they misinterpreted a post.
On Reddit and Bluesky itself, users have complained about being "collateral damage." If you get added to a major block list, the app basically breaks for you. You’ll see threads where half the conversation is missing because everyone has you blocked. You become a "digital pariah" without ever knowing why.
There's also the issue of "list-stacking." Some moderators run multiple lists. You might subscribe to a MAGA block list, but the person running it might also have an "Anti-AI" list or a list targeting specific activists. If they merge those interests, you might be blocking people you actually wanted to hear from.
Beyond Lists: Starter Packs and Labelers
If you find the idea of massive block lists a bit too "all or nothing," there are other ways to curate your space.
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- Starter Packs: These are usually used for following people, but they work for blocking too. If someone makes a "Pro-Trump Starter Pack," you can actually use that list to block everyone in it at once.
- Custom Labelers: This is the newest frontier. Instead of blocking, you can subscribe to a "Labeler." This service will put a little badge next to an account (like "Political Bot" or "Right-Wing Pundit"). You still see the posts, but you have the context.
Actionable Steps for a Cleaner Feed
If you’re ready to take control of your Bluesky experience, don't just wing it.
Start by checking your Moderation Settings. Look at your "Muted Words" and add things like "MAGA," "Trump," "Election," or whatever is stressing you out. This is softer than a block list because it only hides posts containing those words, not the people themselves.
Next, look for reputable list providers. Look for lists with high subscriber counts and active maintainers who actually respond to "wrongful block" appeals.
Finally, remember that you can always "unblock" a list. If you feel like your feed has become too much of an echo chamber, you can unsubscribe from a list just as easily as you joined it.
The power is literally in your hands. On Bluesky, you aren't just a user; you are the editor-in-chief of your own digital newspaper.
Pro Tip: If you're a public figure or a journalist, check your own "block count" occasionally using third-party tools like ClearSky. If your numbers are spiking, you might have ended up on a major community list. If that happens, your only real move is to reach out to the list creator—or just accept that you're shouting into a void that has decided not to listen.