Election Propaganda: White House To Create Briefing Room For Social Media Influencers

President Biden’s team is stepping up its digital strategy in anticipation of the 2024 presidential election. The campaign is leaning heavily on the power of social media influencers to boost Biden’s image through the White House’s vast social media platform.

According to Axios, four staffers are focused on engaging influencers and other independent content creators across the country who do not subscribe to the White House media feed or tune into mainstream media. Boosting Biden’s standing among younger voters is a priority, given that young voters preferred Biden over Trump by a 26-point margin last year, while Democrats over Republicans by a margin of 28 points in this year’s midterms.

The move is significant and a measure of how much the White House is investing in its digital strategy. Rob Flaherty, who is leading Biden’s effort to engage with influencers, has been named Assistant to the President – the same rank as top White House communicators.

Jen O’Malley Dillon, the White House Deputy Chief of Staff notes that the campaign’s focus is on reaching those who consume digital media. “We’re trying to reach young people, but also moms who use different platforms to get information and climate activists and people whose main way of getting information is digital,” said Dillon.

The campaign’s efforts could be an important counterbalance to former President Trump’s formidable social media presence, should he decide to run for office again. Biden’s team is already working with hundreds of (unpaid) like-minded content creators, including NYU student Harry Sisson and Boston College professor Heather Cox Richardson, who have a wide reach on platforms like TikTok and Twitter.

What’s notable is that Biden’s team is considering creating a dedicated briefing room for influencers within the White House, where they would be able to meet the President and receive updates directly from the administration. This move would be unprecedented and is further evidence of how digital media is increasingly vital to political messaging.