On July 21, in a jaw-dropping statement posted to the social media platforms Instagram and X, President Joe Biden officially announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race.
There’s no denying that the election has captivated the American public for generations, and this year will be no exception. In his statement online, Biden indicated that his decision came with the hopes of uniting his party and opening up opportunities to a younger generation of leaders. Biden’s choice to step down has since created a tsunami wave of chaos on the political world stage.
Following the announcement of President Joe Biden’s withdrawal from his re-election campaign, the nominee’s successor, current Vice President Kamala Harris, has established a brand that was unexpected by many.
Biden immediately began endorsing Harris, and she has since been fully embraced by the Democratic party. In late August, she earned the official nomination at the Democratic National Convention.
No longer anchored by professionalism amidst political differences, American governmental figures have defaulted to a different approach: using social media and other well-known outlets to appeal to younger generations.
“I think a lot of people my age are more inclined to vote in this election because of the social media campaigns being put out by both parties at this point,” Juliana Cui (’26) said. “They see a lot of the influence and they can understand the political background and each side’s advocacy a lot better than if it’s just through newspapers like the New York Times or the Washington Post.”
This exposure, in the form of speeches, interviews or any public appearance, allows for the candidates’ personality, branding and even overall star factor to be accessible for Generation Z to judge in just a few seconds. This type of online publication is a vital factor in the race to win this generation’s votes.
In attempts to deface one another’s campaigns, Biden, Harris and Trump have harnessed social media to disrupt the opposing party. Biden poked fun at Trump, saying, “You won’t have to worry about my tweets when I’m president.” Harris slammed Trump on Instagram, saying he is “exhausted, unstable and unfit” for the presidency. Trump, meanwhile, has been taunting the heads of the Democratic party, calling them names like “Sleepy Joe,” “Comrade Kamala” and “Kamabla.”
Not only were Trump and Biden at odds with each other, but in some cases, they found themselves at odds with their own supporters. The Democratic party in particular was no doubt losing steam. For months, it had seemingly been losing support from demographics it had once found easy to cater to—primarily Gen Z.
As it stands, both Harris and Trump are attempting to address many of the same issues that dominated America’s consciousness during the 2016 election–economy, terrorism, foreign policy and health care. Beyond these four, in the current political climate in the U.S., nearly every topic has a divisive effect on society.
According to a 2023 report from Pew Research Center, “more than eight-in-ten Americans (86%) say the following is a good description of politics: ‘Republicans and Democrats are more focused on fighting each other than on solving problems.’”
Such agitation has only been exacerbated by the 2024 election. The political polarization in the United States has resulted in an incredibly tight race in which either candidate could easily win the presidency. Consequently, Gen Z has become a critical factor in this election. A poll conducted by Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics confirmed that the youngest generation of voters has a variety of matters they’d like to see addressed in their campaigns, including the Israel-Hamas war, immigration at the Southern border, economic issues, reproductive rights and the reliability of the government. In 2016, Gen Z cast 2.7 million votes, making up 2% of the total share of votes cast. Over eight million individuals have reached voting age since the midterm elections in 2022, and in 2024, nearly 41 million members of Gen Z will be eligible to elect their next president. Therefore, both candidates’ attempts to establish their positions through their use of social media and their participation in official forums are crucial to the outcome of their respective campaigns.
According to a survey of Madison students, 71.1% watched the presidential debate, even though 94% were not of voting age. It also found that the majority of Madison considered Harris to be the more likable or charismatic candidate.
“I love her attitude and how spunky she is,” Juliette Kopp (’25) said. “She really cares about everyone in the country and wants to help minorities, not just promote large corporations and millionaires. I think she will really help rebuild the country after all of the things we have faced, socially and economically.”
In contrast, some believe Trump is a more favorable candidate.
“In my opinion, he will make America great again,” Will Kirkhorn (’25) said.
Trump turned to podcasts to connect with young voters where they are most engaged. A study done by Edison Research in collaboration with SXM found that almost 24 million Gen Z Americans are podcast listeners, an almost 57% increase in the past five years. This increase in engagement is most directly linked to the accessibility of podcast clips on social media and their ability to advertise on their platforms.
In June, Trump was featured on “Impaulsive,” the podcast and Youtube show of Logan Paul, a 29-year-old social media influencer and wrestler.
Paul is known for his “tough-guy” persona, escalated by his recent wrestling career, which began in 2022. The audience of Paul’s podcast aligns with the community Trump most appeals to in terms of Gen Z: young men. In addition to “Impaulsive,” Trump was featured on other podcasts such as the “Full Send” podcast and the “Lex Fridman” podcast, both of which have primarily male audiences.
Harris countered Trump’s podcast move with one of her own, appearing on a series with an audience drastically different from Logan Paul’s: “Call Her Daddy.”
The podcast, hosted by Alex Cooper, promotes feminism and gender positivity and often features guests well-known in pop culture. According to Spotify, “Call Her Daddy” is currently the second most listened-to podcast in the U.S. With a primarily young female audience, Harris’ appearance on the podcast reaffirmed her stance on women’s rights and feminism, with abortion being a key topic of discussion throughout the interview.
“We reached out to Donald Trump to come on this show,” Cooper said in a disclaimer before the interview began. “If he wants to have a meaningful, in-depth conversation about women’s rights in this country, he is welcome on ‘Call Her Daddy’ anytime.”
While this “Call Her Daddy” episode touched on Harris’ perspective on various societal issues, a key aspect of her campaign was overlooked – “brat.”
Earlier in the year, the dulling blue of the Democratic party gave way to the bright lime green of “brat.” Back in June, experimental pop artist Charli XCX received tremendous mainstream attention after releasing her album, “BRAT,” and the artist––who isn’t even American––endorsed Harris simply by posting “Kamala IS brat” on X. The post now has 55.8 million views, over five times more than Bill and Hillary Clinton’s endorsement post on X, which has 10.9 million views. The “brat” branding has sparked national social media trends framing Harris as likable and confident in the eyes of Gen Z. However, this light-hearted approach comes with risk, as her traditionally professional side seems to be taken over by an unserious image. Those against or in question of Harris’ campaign could potentially associate this youthful tactic with weakness or unprofessionalism.
Along with this utilization of trends and social media, Harris’ pro-abortion rights stance is also capturing the attention of many empowered Gen Z voters and members of our student body who are not yet of voting age.
“Her focus on human rights as a whole, such as her stance on LGBT marriage and gay rights, abortion, women’s rights and even taking steps to liberate the falsely prosecuted, etc. are developments in politics I can seriously appreciate,” Bowen Cuthbertson (’27) said.
Like Harris, Trump’s memorable line from the presidential debate about immigration immediately turned into a viral TikTok audio, spreading to other outlets such as YouTube and Instagram. While some refuted this claim, this exposure caused many to latch onto Trump’s remark. Beyond this social media presence, Trump’s economic stance, which is largely in favor of individual and corporate tax cuts, appeals to Madison students.
“His economic policies look to enable Americans to further their own wealth,” Gabe Khoury (’25) said.
Whatever Gen Z thinks about the presidential candidates now holds a new power to mainstream youth culture in the rapidly evolving political environment. In the 2024 election, Harris and Trump’s social media teams have the power to shape an entire generation’s perception of the candidates––and it’s clear they know it.