How Authentic Is Kamala Harris' Online Support? Influencers Have Doubts
The overnight transformation of Vice President Kamala Harris from an abrasive, word salad dispensing political opportunist into a hip, approachable political savior has been extraordinary, to put it mildly.
But a number of Gen-Z online content creators are calling into question whether any of it is authentic and some are saying it’s part of an astroturfed effort to make Harris more appealing to younger voters.
Comedian Steve McGrew shared an email that appears to offer him money, in exchange for posting positive videos about Harris.
I’m going to post a video of Kamala Harris and her moronic takes every day until the election.
— Sarah Fields (@SarahisCensored) July 28, 2024
This is her famous “coconut tree” speech from 2023. pic.twitter.com/Ur32WLtB64
A recent Harris campaign rally in Atlanta drew large numbers of enthusiastic participants but the purported groundswell of support for the presumptive Democratic nominee didn’t necessarily reflect reality.
Many of the attendees were paid to attend or came to hear Megan Thee Stallion perform and began streaming out of the venue halfway through Harris’ speech.
Yesterday's event was not a “rally” for Kamala. This was a trashy vile concert for a twerking Meghan Thee Stallion that Kamala was invited to speak at. Most of the attendees received a $150 incentive bonus and left halfway into her speech. She is WEIRD😈 pic.twitter.com/IJ1L7Ac1zw
— 🇺🇸Kimmie🇺🇸 (@kimmagagal2) July 31, 2024
Other content creators told the Daily Caller that recent lighthearted Harris videos poking fun at coconut tree anecdote are simply another way for Democrats to create the appearance of support for their candidate through manipulation of social media.
The videos are intended to convey an attitude of organic support for Harris having made a transition, As Van Jones put it, “She’s gone from cringe to cool.”
They trying to get ME to be a paid shill for Kamala. GFYS! But let this be a lesson… they are PAYING people to pretend to support KumSwalla pic.twitter.com/kokPoAHvyK
— Steve Mudflap McGrew’s REMASCULATE podcast (@REMASCULATE) July 28, 2024
Chrissy Clark is a Gen-Z conservative commentator who says the Democratic National Committee (DNC) is using an “influencer dark network” to push online trends that are intended to build up Harris’ image and make her seem cool and approachable.
According to the Daily Caller, the DNC has paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a media company representing young TikTok influencers and it’s expected that Harris will capitalize on those relationships as her campaign swings into gear.
But getting these younger voters to share memes and laugh at Harris won’t necessarily translate into getting them to vote for her.
Gen-Z has likely noticed that the same people telling them that Kamala is a great candidate this month, are the same ones who were telling them Biden was fit for the job last month.