WASHINGTON (AP) — At first glance, it seems like the 78-year-old former president and the 23-year-old Internet celebrity would have little in common.
Donald Trump recently appeared on Adin Ross’s show and admitted that he only “kind of” understands live streaming, which involves posting live footage to social media. But he told Ross that he appreciates the show being part of a “new wave” of information, and credits it with helping educate his 18-year-old son, Barron.
“My son told me about you and how big they are,” Trump said during the two-hour conversation. “He said, ‘Dad, they’re really big.’”
Trump’s campaign has fully embraced the brash, macho, and often rebellious online spaces popular with young men, from live-streaming platforms like Twitch and Kik to YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. The former president appeared with influencer Logan Paul, another figure Trump has said is his youngest son’s favorite, and chatted on X with billionaire Elon Musk, a figure revered by many young conservatives.
Rex Friedman, a computer scientist and podcaster with a largely young male audience, said he would soon host an episode with Trump.
Both Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris are competing for voters who increasingly get their news from nontraditional sources. While Trump’s campaign staff has talked to conservative influencers about potential topics and guests, Harris’s campaign recently certified about 200 content creators for the Democratic National Convention, some of whom received free hotel stays and other perks from liberal groups in Chicago.
“This election is where influencers really matured as a news source, where campaigns have actual outreach programs and are treated as part of the media,” said Tammy Gordon, a digital communications strategist. “And that’s one of the really cool things about the evolution of political advertising. And what’s also scary is that you can slice and dice voters so finely that you can feed different messages to different places.
“That’s the cool thing about technology, and that’s the scary thing about political advertising,” she added.
It’s unclear how much the Trump campaign’s online media push will help his campaign. The same social media platforms are filled with content creators who are highly critical of the former president, and whose content has been pushed viral by algorithms like Ross and other Trump supporters.
But Trump’s meme-making is in some ways an evolution of the strategy he used to fuel his persona as a playboy, businessman and mogul, an image that made him a darling of New York tabloids in the 1980s and 1990s, a television personality on “The Apprentice” in the 2000s and, ultimately, president in the 2010s.
The campaign seeks to capitalize on Trump’s celebrity and bravado, using online and traditional media to subtly deliver his message to an audience that doesn’t pay attention to political news. The campaign sees men under 50, including many black and Hispanic men, as a key demographic for Trump to reach.
Younger Americans, communities of color, and immigrant communities are more likely to get their news online or through social media than older Americans or white Americans.
Appearing alongside Trump, Ross toned down his usually provocative persona, switching from his usual topics of discussion about video games, sports and women to a discussion of Trump’s foreign policy and immigration.
Ross gave Trump a Rolex watch and sat with him in a Tesla Cybertruck decorated with decals depicting the former president’s face, a bald eagle and an American flag at a rally following the July assassination attempt. The two then danced outside the truck.
Ross is an internet personality who rose to fame in 2020 when he live-streamed video games with professional basketball player Bronny James, son of NBA legend LeBron James, and later appeared with rappers like Lil Uzi Vert. He has been known to make provocative comments about sexual orientation and women on his live-streams.
His stunts regularly draw hundreds of thousands of viewers, mostly male, but he has also been banned across the platform for repeatedly using profanity and other inappropriate behavior. He was permanently banned from Twitch in 2023 for what the platform calls “hate speech.” He has increasingly expressed right-wing political views, forming friendships with figures like Andrew Tate, a controversial influencer who is currently under house arrest on new charges of child trafficking.
The presidential campaign is reaching its peak at a time when many young people, especially those without college degrees and struggling economically, are feeling the pinch. Conservative politicians and internet celebrities have tried to address a host of grievances.
Solomon Brent is one of four men who post daily reaction videos on the YouTube channel CartierFamily, offering their million-plus subscribers a Gen Z, Black, right-wing perspective on the day’s political news with bombastic headlines and casual conversation. They joke about former CNN host Don Lemon, praise conservative commentators who “destroy” and “obliterate” progressive politicians and activists, and mix jokes into everyday discussions about relationships, sports, music, and other decidedly non-political topics.
“They seem to see our raw and honest opinions. We just clip what happened that day and react,” Brent said. “We keep it real about pretty much everything.”
The group cited YouTube analytics, saying the video’s audience was predominantly male and under the age of 40.
The group behind CartierFamily met with Trump’s top advisers at a 2021 Turning Point USA event after building a large online following through videos, and since then, Brent said, they’ve “connected some dots for us” through political connections, amplifying content and giving the audience stories to discuss.
The Trump campaign has not disclosed how many online conservative creators it is working with in a similar way to CartierFamily.
“Our strategy has always been to meet voters where they are, and that means going into non-traditional media spaces,” said Janiya Thomas, the Trump campaign’s Black media director. “Black podcasters have had a significant impact in this election, and it’s important to leverage diverse voices to amplify our message to the Black community.”
Harris’s presidential bid has sparked an explosion of organic engagement online, and the campaign has sought to capitalize on that, particularly on platforms popular with young Americans and people of color, like Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.
The campaign is paying close attention to Harris’s online footprint and responding with original content that reflects her newfound online support. Creators have also found favor in the broader progressive movement. Several creators have confirmed that progressive groups with close ties to the Democratic Party have offered them perks like paid flights, parties, and hotel rooms to cover the Democratic National Convention in Chicago.
Harris is also trying to leverage the White House’s years of engagement with influential figures to promote the White House agenda and listen to their concerns.
“I think there’s a lot to criticize (Biden), but by comparison, the Republican Party doesn’t have the same level of support or creator outreach,” said Khalil Green, a TikTok influencer who makes American history videos that often go viral across multiple platforms. “If I had to review it, I would definitely give it a positive review. And I think they’ve pioneered a new way of engaging with the public. Whatever you think about the specifics of the criticism, you have to give them credit for that.”
