WASHINGTON (AP) — Social media influencers received royal treatment at the White House on Wednesday as President Joe Biden praised their ability to influence millions of loyal followers.
The White House hosted a panel of more than 100 influencers (also known as content creators) from a variety of media platforms—from chefs and makeup artists to fitness gurus and medical students—to discuss issues such as mental health, pay equity and the misuse of artificial intelligence.
Biden stopped by to tell opinion leaders gathered in the Indian Treaty Room in the White House complex: “The fact is, you are the future.”
“They are the source of news,” he said. “They are the new opportunities. They are the new breakthrough in the way we communicate.”
Biden added amid laughter: “And that’s why I invited you to the White House, because I’m looking for a job.”
Among those present were makeup artist Jackie Aina, chef My Nguyen and medical student Joel Bervell. Together, the influencers have millions of followers.
By underscoring the importance and power of the content creator economy – estimated to be worth around $250 billion globally – the White House is also recognizing the youth vote, which will be a key voting bloc for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican candidate Donald Trump in November’s election.
In late July, a coalition of 17 youth groups endorsed the vice president. The youth-led progressive organizations had warned for months that the 81-year-old Biden had a problem with young voters and had asked the president to work more closely with them and refocus on the issues most important to younger generations or risk losing their votes. They hope Harris can capitalize on a new explosion of energy among young voters.
Trump has also spent time courting influencers, with his campaign particularly banking on younger male voters to give him a leg up in November.
Trump gave an interview last week with Twitch streamer and online celebrity Adin Ross, who has more than 7 million followers on Instagram. The internet star ended his interview with the former president by gifting him a Tesla Cybertruck covered in images of Trump raising his fist after the assassination attempt on him.
The White House event comes as the Biden administration is embroiled in a legal battle with TikTok over a federal law that will determine the platform’s future in the U.S.
Many creators who make money on TikTok have pushed back against the law that requires TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the popular platform to a U.S.-approved buyer or face a ban.
In May, TikTok and ByteDance filed a lawsuit to block the law, arguing that divestment was not commercially, legally or technologically possible and that they would have to shut down the platform in the U.S. by Jan. 19, when the law would take effect.
The measure passed after receiving bipartisan support in Congress and was also supported by senior administration officials who expressed concern about how the Chinese government could influence ByteDance.
TikTok had previously negotiated with the Biden administration to address some of these concerns, but those talks fizzled out before the two sides reached an agreement.
Hadero contributed from South Bend, Indiana.
