WASHINGTON (AP) — At first glance, there is little that a 78-year-old former president and a 23-year-old internet personality have in common.
Donald Trump admitted during a recent appearance on Adin Ross’ show that he only “more or less” understands live streaming, or posting live videos on social media. But he told Ross he appreciated that the show was part of the “new wave” of information – and he thanked his youngest son, 18-year-old Barron, for helping to educate him.
“My son told me about you and how tall he is. He said, ‘Dad, he’s really tall,'” Trump said during their two-hour conversation.
Trump’s campaign has fully embraced the swaggering, machismo and often troublemaking online spaces popular with a subset of younger men, on livestreaming platforms like Twitch and Kick, as well as YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. The former president has appeared with influencer Logan Paul, another figure Trump said was a favorite of his youngest son, and has spoken at X with multibillionaire Elon Musk, a figure revered by many younger conservatives.
Computer scientist and podcaster Lex Fridman, who also has a vast audience consisting mostly of younger men, said he will soon host an episode with Trump.
Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are competing for voters who are increasingly getting their news from nontraditional sources. Trump campaign aides are talking to conservative influencers about potential topics and guests, while the Harris campaign team accredited around 200 content creators for the recent Democratic National Convention, some of whom received free hotel stays and other perks from liberal groups aligned with them to be in Chicago.
“This election, influencers have really matured as news sources and campaigns have real outreach programs and are treating them almost like parts of the media,” said Tammy Gordon, a digital communications strategist. “And that’s one of the really great things about the evolution of political advertising. And the scary thing is that you can slice the electorate so finely that you can push different messages in different places.”
“That’s the cool thing about technology, but the scary thing about political advertising,” she added.
It’s unclear how much the Trump campaign’s online activity will boost his campaign. The same social media platforms are full of content harshly critical of the former president that goes viral through the same algorithms as Ross and other pro-Trump personalities.
But Trump’s cultivation of memes is in some ways an evolution of the strategy he used to burnish his image as a playboy, businessman and mogul – an image that made him a darling of the New York tabloids in the 1980s and 1990s, a television personality on “The Apprentice” in the 2000s and, finally, president in the 2010s.
The campaign now hopes to employ Trump’s celebrity and swagger to gain attention online and in classic media, bringing its message to audiences who may not be interested in political news. It sees men under 50, many of them black and Hispanic, as a key demographic where Trump could succeed.
Younger Americans, as well as communities of color and immigrant communities, are more likely to get their news online or through social media than older or white Americans.
During his appearance with Trump, Ross toned down his usually provocative demeanor, swapping his usual discussion topics of video games, sports and women for Trump’s foreign policy and immigration issues.
Ross gave Trump a Rolex watch and then walked with him to a Tesla Cybertruck, which featured an image of the former president’s face at a rally after the July assassination attempt, along with images of a bald eagle and an American flag. The two then danced in front of the truck.
Ross is an internet personality who rose to prominence in 2020 by livestreaming video games with now-professional basketball player Bronny James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, and later performing with rappers such as Lil Uzi Vert. He became known for his provocative comments about sexuality and women in his livestreams.
His stunts regularly garnered him an audience of hundreds of thousands, mostly men, but also bans on various platforms for repeated employ of slurs and other offenses. He was permanently banned from Twitch in 2023 for what the platform called “hateful conduct.” He espoused increasingly right-wing political views as he formed friendships with figures such as Andrew Tate, a controversial influencer who was recently placed under house arrest on fresh allegations of human trafficking of minors.
The presidential campaign is reaching its peak at a time when many youthful men are facing challenges, particularly those without college degrees, who are struggling with economic problems. Conservative politicians and Internet personalities are trying to answer a range of complaints.
Solomon Brent is one of four men who post daily reaction videos on their YouTube channel CartierFamily, offering their million-plus subscribers their right-wing, black, Gen Z perspective on the day’s political news through exaggerated headlines and casual conversation. They joke about former CNN anchor Don Lemon, praise conservative commentators who “destroy” and “erase” liberal politicians and activists, and mix their quips into everyday debates about relationships, sports, music, and other seemingly non-political topics.
“I think they just see our blunt, honest opinions. We just pull up a clip that we saw that day and react to it,” Brent said. “We stay completely realistic about pretty much everything.”
The videos appeal to a predominantly male audience under the age of 40, the group said, citing YouTube analysis results.
After gaining a following online with their videos, the group behind CartierFamily met with senior Trump advisers at a Turning Point USA event in 2021, who have since “connected some dots for us,” Brent said, making political connections, amplifying content and tagging stories to discuss with their audience.
The Trump team declined to disclose the number of conservative online creators it works with. The situation is similar with the CartierFamily.
“Our strategy has always been to meet voters where they are, and that means entering non-traditional media spaces,” said Janiyah Thomas, the Trump campaign’s Black Media Director. “Black podcasters have significant influence in this election, and it’s important to leverage diverse voices to amplify our message to the Black community.”
Harris’s presidential candidacy, meanwhile, has led to an explosion of organic online engagement that the campaign hopes to employ to its advantage, particularly on platforms popular with younger Americans and people of color, such as Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
The campaign is closely monitoring Harris’ online presence and responding with its own content that reflects its newfound online supporters. The creatives have also been embraced by the broader progressive movement; several creatives confirmed that liberal groups aligned with Democrats offered perks like paid flights, parties and hotel rooms to cover the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Harris also benefits from the White House’s years-long effort to work with influential people to advance its agenda and learn about their interests.
“I think there’s a lot to criticize about (Biden), but in comparison, the Republican Party doesn’t have the same level of support or reach,” said Kahlil Greene, a TikTok influencer who creates videos on American history that often go viral across platforms. “If I had to give them a rating, I would definitely give them a positive rating. And I think they’ve really pioneered a new way of interacting with the public, and no matter what you think of the details that you can criticize, you have to give them credit for that.”
