Trump – The Influencer

(Oh, and the 47th President of the United States)

Bleach-blond, orange-bronzed, and one of the most “meme-able” political figures, Donald Trump is a marketing mastermind. If he’d lost this year’s election, his victory in 2016 could have been considered a one-hit-nightmare left in the past, but after winning again and improving his vote share in nearly 90% of counties, according to The Economist, he has to be doing something right.

The Hollywood Reporter declared Trump the winner of the first “Influencer Election” in an article praising his approach to social media personalities. A natural for meme culture, he embraced influencers instead of relying on Hollywood celebrities to win votes. He turned to YouTubers, podcasters, and Instagram personalities who’ve built their brands around authenticity and sharing their lives on social media. People like Jake Paul, Joe Rogan, or Corinna Kopf connected with voters because they have communities that trust them more than traditional political figures and institutions.

In contrast, Harris had A-list celebrities endorsing her campaign, Obama and Eminem rapping in the name of democracy, Beyoncé and JLo talking at her rallies, and Taylor Swift expressing her disdain for Trump as a “childless cat lady.” However, these endorsements, once the gold standard for campaigns, were now seen as elitist and unauthentic.

The Hollywood Reporter’s article explored concepts such as “personality-driven news” – fostering emotional connections with audiences to make news more memorable – and Trump’s dedication to creating “custom experiences for creators.” He only became more popular by bringing the Nelk Boys on his private plane and FaceTimeing their friends, ultimately curating relationships with influencers, and ‘playing their game’ by conforming to their content types.

It’s a troubling shift. Since when do presidential candidates have to ‘court’ influencers to get the job? Do we decide who gets the nuclear codes based on a short TikTok video or a three-hour podcast discussion? It seems absurd, but we’re now in an era where influencers who have nothing to do with policy, governance, or political values shape American politics.

It’s disturbing that some Americans are taking their voting cues from OnlyFans creators, such as Corinna Kopf, over journalists or even credible political analysts. Of course, distrust in traditional media is growing everywhere – and not without reason – but influencers are not journalists. While their brand might revolve around authenticity, they are not bound by ethical codes, nor do they have to disclose their paid partnerships when supporting a political party. Let’s not forget that they are brands, not fact-checkers or truth-tellers.

Their appeal lies in handing out simple solutions in a far too complex world. People look up to them for reassurance and guidance when overwhelmed by the media’s constant noise. It’s easy and comforting, but it makes influencers the perfect mouthpieces for leaders like Trump because their job is to influence, not educate.

Traditional media might not always get it right, but they are one of the few institutions designed to act as watchdogs. Most of them might be outdated, out-of-touch, and corrupt, but there still are independent media outlets striving to be objective and transparent, and to consult experts on the subjects they write about. If there isn’t even an entity pretending to fight the spread of misinformation and the attempts at evading accountability – things Trump is already getting away with – we will permanently live in an ‘era of alternative facts.’

In 2020, 90.9% of Americans had a high school diploma, but only 37.5% got a Bachelor’s degree or higher, according to the Education Data Initiative. The problem isn’t just distrust in legacy media but a lack of a well-educated electorate that values knowledge and accountability, and seeks to educate themselves on political candidates and their programmes before voting. In an era of influencer politics where marketability outranks meaning, this is becoming crucial to safeguard democracy. Voters need to ask not only what influencers are saying but why they are saying it.

So yeah, Trump shouldn’t be mocked – not that anyone is laughing anymore – because he is a marketing genius. And since this election was never about who was more qualified and experienced to be the next President of the United States, to any convicted felons who know marketing and want to be on YouTube, the White House is hiring!