Social media figures who have supported Biden say they have lost thousands of followers to backlash over his policies and attacks on President Donald Trump, and many have vowed not to vote for him.
Jay Gurley is a 24-year-old black transgender fashion creator with over 1.7 million TikTok followers. He told The Washington Post She said Friday that she is tired of the Biden campaign’s negative messaging.
“You don’t have to tell me how terrible Trump is. I know it. You think I don’t know it?” she told the magazine on Friday.
“You have to tell me how great you are so I can convince other people, because people my age don’t want to vote for you.”
The antipathy toward Biden among younger voters is the latest headache for a presidential campaign that has been thrown into turmoil by his dismal debate performances and lingering doubts about his cognitive ability and stamina.
Months before Biden’s debate gaffe, Gurley was one of several social media influencers invited by the president’s granddaughter, Finnegan Biden, to a roundtable discussion on how to reach Gen Z voters.
The meeting, which took place in Manhattan on March 28, was reportedly rife with tensions as some influencers criticized the president for signing legislation that could ban TikTok in the US, as well as his support for Israeli military action in the Gaza Strip to eradicate Hamas terrorists.
Gurley said he posted a video ahead of the meet called “Get Ready With Me” to build excitement for the event.
But the influencer declined to do a similar post-event recap video, fearing backlash, particularly over anger over Biden’s Israel policy.
“This puts our brand at risk,” Gurley told The Washington Post.
“You can’t talk about the Biden administration without acknowledging what’s happening in Gaza.”
Other attendees with large social media followings included Olivia Ponton, 22, Deja Fox, 24, and Chloe Lukasiak, 23.
Lukasiak, who boasts more than 8 million followers on Instagram and more than 4 million on TikTok, posted a photo to Instagram of herself and Finnegan Biden at the event.
However, commenters on the photo flooded her feed with negative comments, leading Lukasiak to delete the post.
Lukasiak said that when he first posted the photo, he “knew there would be strong opposition to my views.”
Despite protests from her supporters, she said she still intends to vote for the president.
“Just because I support a candidate doesn’t mean I completely agree with all of that candidate’s policies and actions,” Lukasiak said.
“I am in no way going to pressure my audience to vote one way or the other, but I am going to support Biden. Of course that will invite some hatred, but ultimately I hope it will encourage people to take an interest in politics.”
Jeremy Jacobowitz, a 37-year-old Manhattan-based food influencer, told The Washington Post that he lost thousands of online followers because of his pro-Biden content.
One commenter wrote on his social media page that Biden was “a walking corpse controlled by a squirrel.”
When asked about the backlash, Jacobowitz said, “I don’t care.”
“If all I do is tell people where to get a cheeseburger, I think that’s a total waste.”
The Washington Post has reached out to the Biden campaign for comment.
