Social media platforms have revolutionized political campaigns. These have changed the way candidates market themselves, communicate to voters, and ultimately poll.
Four years ago, Trump frequently communicated through Twitter, now called X, but was eventually suspended from the platform and launched his own social platform, Truth Social. His campaign still uses X, but it's not given much thought.
“Candidates seem to be drawn to the major social media platforms: X, Facebook and Instagram,” said Vincent Reynold, associate professor of communication studies. “[Trump’s campaign] I don't use X much. He is often on Facebook and Instagram. ”
Trump's campaign style is very different from that of President Joe Biden and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley.
“It feels like the Biden and Haley campaigns are taking a more professional approach, which at times can be seen as elitist and undermine their credibility,” Reynold said. “At a time when populism is highly appealing to the public and people are rebelling against institutions and elites, Mr. Trump's style takes a people-first approach.”
Reynold said that's why Trump is well connected on social media, which can be seen in his Truth Social posts.
“You get [that] It's him and it comes directly from the candidate. “If you read Joe Biden's tweets, you can see that they came from his staff team,” Reynold said. “With traditional media, you don't have as much of an issue. Social media is more graphic.”
Raynor said Biden has shown signs of sincerity by pushing back against Trump, including by trashing former first lady Melania Trump's “Be Best” campaign. In response to CNN's report that the Biden campaign is wearing the skin of President Trump, Mr. Biden responded by saying, “Do your best.'' It's that kind of playfulness that gets people responding on social media.
“Trolling has become part of the campaign. Trump is taking viral content, things that are floating around the internet, and repurposing them into his campaign,” Reynold said. “Everyone's doing it. It's like sharing a meme with a friend.”
Reynold said campaigns also need to work with social media influencers, which hasn't been a concern in past presidential elections. Reynold said one of the biggest influencers in many ways is Taylor Swift, who endorsed Biden in 2020. Since then, her influence has grown even further, with 92 million followers on X, 281 million followers on Instagram, and 24 million followers. On TikTok.
“She can mobilize the public. That's scaring the Republicans,” Reynold said.
Beyond just X and Instagram, social media is more important than ever to political campaigns. Reynold says he asks his students about their morning media diet.
“TikTok has become a primary source of information for young viewers. They wake up, reach for their phones, and look at social media,” Reynold said. “For some people, social media has become their primary means of getting information.”
Reynold pointed to a recent Pew Research Center study showing that in just three years, the percentage of U.S. adults who regularly get their news from TikTok has more than quadrupled, increasing from 3% in 2020 to 3% in 2023. He pointed out that in 2018, it rose to 14%.
“It's less about which platform is going to be the silver bullet. It's more about understanding your target audience and what platforms and messages you can use to actually reach them,” Reynold said. Told.
let's talk strategy
Communication studies adjunct faculty member Kathryn Grosso Gan ’05 served as deputy press secretary to former Republican presidential candidate Chris Christie when he was governor of New Jersey. She also previously served as war room director for the Republican National Committee and before that worked on former New York Mayor Rudy Guiliani's presidential campaign.
What advice would she give to candidates?
“Let's start with Donald Trump. I don't know if there's any advice he'll listen to,” Gunn said.
“If you're Nikki Haley, she has a role to play. She's doing her best to be a direct replacement for Trump,” she continued. “She's speaking out about her experience to registered Republicans who can vote in Republican elections like New Hampshire, as well as moderate voters who are registered as independent voters. You Trump Right I can’t leave you. That won’t be enough.”
Gunn said Biden needs to distinguish himself as the only adult present in 2020 and restore America's standing in the world. But he said the Democratic Party and Democrats have taken voter dissatisfaction too lightly, and that Trump and the Republicans are capitalizing on it.
Haley is far behind Trump in terms of delegates, but Republican primaries in some states are winner-take-all.
“She's trying to be a spoiler, so going to the tournament gives her a chance,” Gunn said. “She has to keep it up with her fundraising. She has been injected with cash. She remains officially without a win in the primary. [thanks to the cash infusion] She still has time to aim for victory. ”
For undecided voters, Gunn said there is room to talk about a wide range of social issues, but candidates need to talk about what's important to people.
“What matters is whether you can feed your children, whether you have money to pay for groceries, whether you can afford to fix a broken dishwasher,” Gunn said. “Nobody's talking about the housing crisis in the broader sense. The economy is getting better. Biden needs to make that point.”
Gunn said Trump took advantage of that in 2016. Trump said it wasn't the traditional, acceptable or common way to do it, but it worked.
“In some ways, he's an effective communicator in that regard,” Gunn said.
Biden's age and Trump's criminal charges
According to the latest Emerson Polling poll released on February 16th, it is a very close race with 45% of voters supporting Trump, 44% of voters supporting Biden, and 11% undecided. There is. Polls show that support for both candidates is down 1 point from a similar poll in January, and neither candidate is on the rise.
“Approval ratings in 2024 will be sharply divided between voters with and without a college degree,” said Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling. Among college-educated voters, Biden won 52% to 39%, compared with 48% to 39%.
Emerson Polling asked questions about two hot topics: Biden's age and Trump's criminal charges.
- Fifty-eight percent said Biden's age would cause serious doubts in their minds about voting for him, and 42% said they would not seriously consider voting for him.
- 57% say Trump's criminal charges raise serious doubts in their minds about voting for him, and 43% say Trump's criminal charges are not a serious consideration for them replied.
- Among independent voters, 54% said Biden's age raises serious questions, and 61% said Trump's criminal indictment raises serious questions.
- Within the candidates' political affiliations, 45% of Democrats say Biden's age raises questions, while 30% of Republicans say the same about Trump's indictment.
“The president's approval rating has remained unchanged since last month, but the approval rating among independents has decreased by several points from 37% to 34%, which is a decline in the president's approval rating, which has been on the rise since November 2023. ,” Kimball said. .
When asked about the most important issue to voters, Emerson Polling found that the economy topped the list at 30%, followed by immigration at 21%, threats to democracy at 14%, education at 6%, crime at 6%, and abortion at 6%. access was 5%. percent.
“Male voters are most concerned about immigration, compared to 15% of women, at 28%, and 35% of women are most concerned about the economy, compared to 26% of men,” Kimball said.
