Former President Donald Trump and Logan Paul feel like a match made in problematic heaven. Trump, who is now a convicted felon, made a much-hyped appearance on Paul’s “Impaulsive” podcast on June 14.
In the interview, which has already amassed over 3.5 million YouTube views, Trump talks about everything. The conversation covered topics ranging from AI, to the existence of aliens, to Mike Tyson’s chances in a fight against Logan’s brother, Jake Paul.
But what’s most striking about this interview isn’t necessarily the ground it covered. It’s the fact it even happened at all.
With tech giant Elon Musk sharing the interview on X after it went live, it’s clear what kind of young, edgy social media demographic Trump is going for. And the 78-year-old is already making inroads.
What do the numbers say?
A Quinnipiac University survey from February 2024 found that Biden has just a two-point lead amongst 18 to 29-year-olds. This translates to 47% compared to Trump’s 45%. Meanwhile, a New York Times poll found that 30% of 18-29 year-olds would vote for Trump, while 26% would vote for Biden.
It’s certainly a u-turn compared to Trump’s position on TikTok back in 2020. Back then, he tried and failed to ban the app. Since then, he has spoken out against Biden’s position on potentially banning TikTok, and even joined the platform himself.
Despite his support of the legislation against TikTok, Biden has invited TikTokers to the White House and launched his own page on the platform.
It’s clear that politicians recognize and want to harness the power of content creators. In fact, we’re seeing that across the pond too with the Labour and Conservative parties amid the impending July 4 election. So buckle up creators, your local politicians might soon be coming for you.
