Social media influencers descend on the White House, where Biden calls them the new ‘source of news’

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Social media influencers got the royal treatment at the White House on August 14 as President Joe Biden gave a nod to their ability to hold sway with millions of loyal followers. The White House played host to a group of more than 100 influencers, also known as content creators, across a range of media platforms—from chefs and makeup artists to fitness gurus and medical students—to talk about issues including mental health, pay equity, and the abuse of artificial intelligence. Biden stopped by to tell the influencers gathered in the Indian Treaty Room in the White House complex: “The fact is, you are the future.” “You’re the source of the news,” he said. “You are the new possibilities. You are the new breakthrough in how we communicate.” Those in attendance included makeup artist Jackie Aina, chef My Nguyen, and medical student Joel Bervell. Together, the influencers count millions of followers. In showcasing the importance and heft of the content creator economy—valued at roughly $250 billion worldwide—the White House is also recognizing the youth vote that will be a crucial constituency for Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and Republican nominee Donald Trump in the November election. In late July, a coalition of 17 youth-led groups endorsed the vice president. The youth-led progressive organizations had warned for months that Biden, 81, had a problem with young voters, pleading with the president to work more closely with them to refocus on issues most important to younger generations or risk losing their votes. They’re hoping Harris can harness a new explosion of energy among young voters. Trump has also spent time courting influencers. Notably, his campaign is counting on younger male voters to give him the edge in November. 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 future of the platform in the U.S. Many creators who earn income on TikTok have opposed the law, which requires TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to sell the popular platform to a U.S.-approved buyer or face a ban. This article was provided by The Associated Press.