Dr. Phil filming a ride-along with ICE agents, interviewing apparent migrants, and making it look like an episode of Cops feels like something I’d dream up after taking a little too much melatonin and scrolling TikTok before bed.
But instead, the “contentification” of President Donald Trump’s policy is indeed the logical next step for a team that won the election with the help of influencers and content creators. Following suit, Trump’s cabinet has basically created the White House’s own cinematic universe.
Only a few days after her confirmation, Kristi Noem, Trump’s Department of Homeland Security secretary, was filmed alongside Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents conducting an operation. “I’m here in New York City,” Noem told the camera in a vertical video, wearing a bulletproof vest and with a fresh blowout. “We’re getting these dirtbags off these streets.”
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Back in December, I wrote that we should not only expect the government to continue its work with influencers but also to become influencers themselves. This week it became clear that this is what the Trump administration has been planning to do with its cabinet leaders all along. They’re not just leading the government, they’re making content while doing it.
Look at who Trump nominated for cabinet positions. Nearly across the board, these nominees have experience playing it up for the camera. Noem is a MAGA media veteran, often appearing on networks like Newsmax to discuss topics of the day. Linda McMahon, wife to former WWE CEO Vince McMahon, has gotten in the wrestling ring a time or two herself. Over the course of his presidential campaign, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. couldn’t get enough of the media, appearing on Joe Rogan’s podcast and anywhere else that would have him. And of course, Pete Hegseth is a former Fox News host. On Tuesday, CNN chief media analyst Brian Stelter wrote that these ICE raids were crafted with television and the internet in mind.
Before his first week in office, Trump had played casting director. Now, we’re getting the pilot episodes.
Still, it’s not like all that much has changed in terms of digital infrastructure at these agencies. It might just be that the GOP is doing it better—and giving their audience what it wants. Even under the Biden administration, DHS and ICE organized ride-alongs with the media, especially with MAGA-friendly broadcasters like Fox News. The agencies would often post photos of enforcement officers cuffing alleged migrants on platforms like X as well. Most of the multimedia staffers are career employees with few slots for political appointees, according to a source familiar with DHS’s public affairs office.
But as Stelter wrote yesterday, the tone of the content is different. And that’s likely a result of the onscreen talent. You’re going to get an entirely different product when working with media veterans like Dr. Phil and Noem. The only Biden cabinet secretary that could rival those two was Pete Buttigieg.
While all of this is happening, the Democrats are waiting to elect a new director before they can even think about casting. On Saturday, Democrats will be voting on their next party chair. There are nearly a dozen people running to fill the spot, but the election is mainly seen as a two-man race between Wisconsin party chair Ben Wikler and Ken Martin, a DNC vice chair.
Wikler, Martin, and many other candidates appeared on a virtual forum Tuesday night specifically focused on the DNC’s future in tech and media. For about an hour, they were asked how they would revamp the party’s data infrastructure and tackle new media. Many of them appeared anxious to take it on.
When I first started covering this beat, Wikler was constantly pitched to me as an example of a Democratic party official who was doing digital the right way. I spoke with him in December, where he reinforced that Democrats needed to respond to the changing media environment quickly if they planned to win elections in the near future. On Tuesday night, Wikler went on to suggest that the DNC create its own innovation lab focused on keeping up with their opposition.
“You need to build a culture of curiosity, innovation, experimentation, and iteration, knowing that many things won’t work,” Wikler said Tuesday night. “So you need to try even more things.”
Martin wants to do something similar by building an “Information War Room” more focused on fighting misinformation.
“That Information War Room will become the hub for better, ongoing, constant digital communications with real-time analytics and also with social listening, so we understand where the misinformation and disinformation is being pumped out, and as part of that, we need to recruit trusted messengers, influencers, creators, and their networks to communicate over the long haul,” Martin said.
That war room already exists on the right. The Trump campaign hosted influencers for special debate war rooms, and the same person who ran the Trump campaign’s war room has now been appointed “war room director” for the White House.
Faiz Shakir, a former Bernie Sanders adviser and the executive director of More Perfect Union, is also running for DNC chair, and he sees things differently. Instead of simply partnering with creators, he envisions a DNC that acts as its own media network. “You don’t just sprinkle fairy dust on a Mobilize link or YouTube link,” he said. “We should be raising money right now for the national Meals on Wheels Association, Head Start for America, just raise money for them and build engagement. Do actions on the ground with people, send videographers. This is what I’m doing right now at More Perfect Union.”
On Saturday, Democrats will choose who they want leading the party and taking on what will likely be a massive digital rebrand. During Tuesday’s forum, many of the candidates promised to move past the “boom-and-bust” periods of investing in digital and then stripping programs down to the bones between election cycles.
But it’s hard to imagine they’ll be able to keep up. Republicans have invested in this for years, and Trump has clearly brought it all to the White House. Plus, season two has just begun.
The Chatroom
Earlier this week, Ryan Broderick, who writes the fantastic Garbage Day newsletter, posted about how difficult it’s been to keep up with all of the news coming out of the White House. I’ve made a career out of staring at news on the computer (amongst other things), and my feeds were full of an unending cycle too.
So I want to check in. Are you even trying to keep up with all of this? Gone full Luddite? Or maybe you’ve created the ultimate anti-brain-rot system and every piece of verifiable Trump news flows directly through your Neuralink chip and into your head.
You can leave a comment or send your thoughts to mail@wired.com.
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What Else We’re Reading
🔗 America Is Divided. It Makes for Tremendous Content: I am so immensely jealous of this story on Jubilee Media and its clickbaity political videos. Even if you weren’t following the election all that closely, clips of these videos, like “Ben Shapiro vs. TikTok Debater,” were all over TikTok’s For You page. (The Atlantic)
🔗 Does Elon Musk Cheat at Video Games? An Investigation: Musk pissed off gamers, and they’re now coming for his throat, debunking his elite gaming skills. (The Washington Post)
🔗 Kamala Harris’ Podcast Strategy Fell Way Short of Trump’s: Ashley Carman put out some new analysis on why the Harris campaign’s podcast strategy flopped. Specifically, she notes how Harris’ interviews were rarely published on YouTube in full and were unable to benefit from the platform’s powerful algorithm like Trump’s appearances did. (Bloomberg)
The Download
In just 24 hours since making the announcement, the White House said it had received 7,400 applications for its “new media” program. Some of those applicants are affiliated with QAnon, according to Alex Kaplan at Media Matters.
Other things I’m paying attention to: Candace Owens is launching her own media platform for women. Marc Andreessen, tech investor and Trump ally, says the quiet part out loud. A previously dull subreddit for federal workers is now a major source of #hopecore. The Trump memecoin is basically an arcade token you can exchange for Trump-branded prizes, like his sneakers, watches, and perfumes.
Oh, and a Tesla that Elon Musk shot into space is “alarmingly” close to impacting Earth. Hurrah!
See you all again next week—thanks again for subscribing. You can get in touch with me via email, Instagram, X, and Signal at makenakelly.32.