Obama Makes Appeal to Social Media Influencers

Facts

• During a fundraiser for US Pres. Joe Biden in Los Angeles, Calif., on Saturday, former Pres. Barack Obama implored around 80 social media influencers to support Biden in his reelection campaign, citing his 'core beliefs.'¹
• Obama defended his former vice president by telling the audience that while they 'may not agree' with all of Biden's actions, he will align with their interests 'nine times out of 10.'¹
• The former president then called on the social media personalities on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram to 'use your influence' to help Biden, recommending they use 'humor' as their young audience may be 'turned off' by politics.²
• The Biden campaign says the event raised $30M, a single-event record for Democrats. The event featured celebrities such as George Clooney and Jimmy Kimmel, with many more in attendance; ticket prices ranged from $250 to $500K.³
• The Democrats are making efforts to attract young progressive voters, who are especially concerned with Israel's war in Gaza and Biden's age of 81.⁴
• The Trump and Biden campaigns have been raising tens of millions in fundraising activities. Trump has claimed to have netted $52.8M in donations after his conviction in the New York hush money trial and another $50.5M at an April fundraiser.³

Sources: ¹Axios, ²FOX News, ³CBS and ⁴The Hill.

Narratives

• Republican narrative, as provided by FOX News. Young Americans are completely turned off by Biden's policy failures, and the American public has no faith in him to resolve the Israel-Hamas war or fix the economy. Due to this, young voters may hand Trump a win in November by defecting from the Democrats. A fundraiser sponsored by Hollywood elites won't help Biden contend with Trump's grassroots campaign.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by WBUR News. There is no candidate in this race other than President Biden who can deliver the agenda that young people want. Biden still leads among younger voters, as they know a Trump presidency would be a disaster for abortion rights, the climate, and gun violence. Young people know that Biden is the right choice, they just need to be more vocal about it.
• Progressive narrative, as provided by Al Mayadeen English. Biden has enabled Israel's genocidal campaign in Gaza, and many young people cannot vote for him in good conscience. Protests on campus have roiled over his appeasement of Netanyahu and Israel — to include brutal police crackdowns — and Biden may lose the election due to the abstention of young voters. Biden still has a chance to garner GenZ and millennial votes, but he'll need to deliver a cease-fire to do so.

Predictions