President Joe Biden gets a lot of flak for not being a spring chicken, but Cockburn is excited to see just how young at heart our octogenarian world leader really is when he takes to TikTok.
When he officially announces his 2024 reelection campaign, the president “will lean on hundreds of social media ‘influencers’ who will tout Biden’s record — and soon may have their own briefing room at the White House,” Axios reports.
An influencer, for those of you who are over the age of fourteen and don’t get your news from ninety-second video reels posted to a communist spyware app, is someone who has a large following on social media and makes money by telling people to buy stuff. Trans activist Dylan Mulvaney, for example, whom the Daily Mail reports “gained 500,000 followers since her sit-down with Joe Biden,” reportedly makes at least $1 million a year in endorsements.
The Biden team’s digital media strategy, according to Axios, “aims to boost Biden’s standing among young voters who are crucial to Democrats’ success in elections.” Cockburn thinks this is a genius move: as social media videos are very short — TikTok content is never more than ten minutes long — they are ideal for showcasing all of Biden’s accomplishments over the past fifty years.
There are three advantages TikTok in particular offers to Biden. One is that it’s owned by the Chinese, so Hunter can show his dad all the latest features and filters his friends created. Also, the largest demographic of TikTok users is between ten and nineteen years of age, so it’d be in keeping with Democratic principles to garner votes from a lot of people who aren’t legally allowed to vote. A third boon TikTok offers Biden is a huge middle finger to the GOP, which is leading the charge to ban TikTok in the US.
One disadvantage: TikTok is already banned on US government devices for national security resaons, so White House staffers won’t be able to keep tabs on the Buss It challenges being filmed down the hall while at work.
Cockburn is stoked to see the TikTok briefing room full of self-absorbed, fast-talking, selfie-taking, viral trend-making Gen Z-ers teaching Karine and Kamala and Joe how to do the Cannibal Dance.
