How Trump Used Influencers to Win Over Voters

A million years ago, and by that I mean January, I wrote about how both Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns were going to harness the energy of influencers this election. I may have actually underestimated just how much creators would play a role in the White House race, from podcasts to TikTok and super influencers like X-owner Elon Musk. 

But the campaigns diverged in how much they tapped creators for outreach. President-Elect Donald Trump, who used his megaphone on Twitter (now X) so effectively in 2016, this year spent far more time with creators, who multiplied that message—including to core groups like young men, or what election analysts have dubbed the “bro vote.”