By: Nyla Louise Rteimeh, Staff Writer
With the rise of new social media platforms and new ways for people to share, how has politics taken advantage of it?
Many people admit to getting at least some of their news from social media platforms. For politicians, the shift in where people find information has changed both where and how they broadcast their messages. From carefully worded tweets to viral TikToks, today’s politicians are curating their social media posts to resonate with highly specific groups of voters.
Donald Trump, the 45th and 47th president of the United States, curates his social media to specifically appeal to his base of supporters. Much of his TikTok content focuses on themes such as the “American Dream” and promises of what he could achieve if re-elected. His messaging is broad and aspirational, featuring goals such as “everyone will prosper,” “promises of peace,” and “every family will thrive.” On Instagram, Trump and his social media team take a slightly different approach. Instead of primarily posting on his future plans–he highlights his past accomplishments–labeling himself as the “peace president”, “crime rates down”, and claiming a “booming economy.”
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Kamala Harris, the 49th vice president of the U.S. and the democratic presidential candidate in the 2025 election, uses her platform to connect with a younger audience. Harris and her marketing team have embraced many internet trends, producing content like the video captioned “2024 Kamala core” where it featured multiple humorous clips; a popular format of video at the time. In another video, she shot back at previous remarks made by Donald Trump, saying “he switches up his positions every week, he isn’t a candidate, he’s a Crumbl Cookie”, Crumbl Cookies being a trendy bakery at the time. Like Trump, Harris discusses her goals and desires for the country, but she just presents them in a more creative and “hip” way. Many of her videos include irony, slang or attention grabbing visuals to bring in more of an audience. Instead of just focusing on her current supporters, she attempts to reign in new, potential voters.
Gavin Newsom, the 40th governor of California, has recently gained public attention because of bold posts targeted towards Donald Trump. These posts vary in content, but they all share one goal: to bring attention to Trump’s political inconsistencies. Many of Newsom’s tweets on X (formerly known as Twitter) mimic Trump’s signature style of posting, utilizing exclamation points, capital letters, and quotation marks. This tactic has drawn significant attention by appealing to a wide audience. Newsom uses TikTok as frequently as X, if not more. His TikTok’s often include popular songs, most including critical language directed to the Republican party, or insults with thought out reasoning on why he disagrees with certain things Trump is pursuing. Not only does this give insight to people interested in genuinely learning about politics, but it also educates those who may not be as knowledgeable.
In the digital age, people of power are needing to discover more ways to connect with both local and global citizens. Whether it’s to engage new voters or keep experienced ones up to date, each way of broadcasting information provides a new perspective for those who care to listen. Politicians using social media offer a look into the modern world and how it will begin operating with social media becoming a more influential media tool.