Ashley Renne posted a more than minute-long video to her Instagram last September, enthusiastically telling her more than 100,000 followers about meeting President Joe Biden and emphasizing the importance of the Inflation Reduction Act.
But now, more than a year after that visit to the White House, her excitement about Biden’s agenda is waning – and she’s not alone among the influencers who were once key to the administration’s outreach to young voters.
Renne told CNN there is a big disconnect between what she sees “the government is doing and what the people want,” and her most recent post encourages others to research third-party candidates ahead of the primaries. On X, Renne recently wrote, “Rooting for you” to Marianne Williamson, who is running against Biden in the Democratic presidential primary.
Like other social media influencers, Renne has worked with the White House on their efforts to reach more voters and tout the administration’s policy accomplishments to help Biden better connect with voters on social media platforms that he may otherwise have been unable to reach. But now, with less than a year before voters head to the polls, some influencers who once helped amplify Biden’s achievements are torn about whether to keep working with him.
“Influencers played a huge role in getting him elected the first time because of our ability to reach younger audiences,” Renne, who is also a climate activist, said in an interview with CNN. “However, if the president is relying on influencers this time around, he’s going to have a tough time considering the state of the country right now and their disappointment in his administration at the moment.”
Biden’s ability to work with social media influencers could be a critical component to helping him galvanize more support among young voters after recent polls show that support for…
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