Influencers and content creators: A key strategy in Trump administration communications

According to a survey conducted by YouGov, more Americans trust the Trump administration than the media for presenting facts "fully, accurately and fairly." Only 29% of respondents say they have a fair amount or a great deal of trust in the media. Meanwhile, the administration achieves 44% trust. Overall, across all polls, it is clear that Americans' trust in the legacy media is at rock bottom, and this administration is listening to the people and communicating with them in new ways.

This week, I was invited, along with a group of influencers, podcasters and content creators, to spend a day at the State Department. We had the opportunity to talk with the deputy secretary of state and several of the women who were honored that day at the Women of Courage Award Ceremony. We are seeing this type of initiative in different institutions and events of the Administration, starting with the White House, which from the very first moment decided that influencers and content creators would now have access to press conferences.

A problem turned into a great opportunity

What for years seemed like a big problem ended up opening a door of blessing for Republicans and particularly for the MAGA movement. Incredibly, for nearly a decade, the mainstream media has devoted itself to attacking President Trump relentlessly. They have done so at the most fundamental levels, attempting to deceive Americans by presenting their biased views as neutral information. But such a level of destruction of the foundations of journalism ended up opening the door to a new era in which independent journalists can reach huge audiences just in minutes and using their phone.

Although in the 2020 election, the legacy media managed to do some damage, after so much chutzpah, it is impossible for people not to realize the reality. Tired of journalists behaving as anti-Trump propagandists while pretending to be impartial, millions of Americans decided to turn off their TVs and get informed through independent opinionators. According to that survey, only 16 % of Americans believe that the media are neutral towards President Trump.

This new communication strategy from the administration is not only due to the impossibility of achieving a fair coverage by the traditional media and the ineffectiveness of those giant and old structures, which have less and less relevance among the real people, but also, to the intention of establishing direct communication with the people.

Real communication with Americans

During our conversation with Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau, he took the time to tell us how he had discovered the power of social media to reach people directly, without going through the bias of the mainstream media, but also to read them and listen to what people are really feeling.

Landau shared with the group of content creators listening to him that when he was ambassador in Mexico, after making a post and receiving hundreds of interactions, he understood what a valuable tool he had in his hands to do his job better and establish direct communication with people.

Ellisa Allen, one of the content creators invited to the event, who has a foundation that helps victims of human trafficking and uses her social media pages to share political commentary and relevant information, had this to say about the failure of mainstream media:

"Legacy media has a proven track record of bending the truth, hiding the truth, or blatantly lying to the public. The American people have turned to independent media [influencers] to bring the truth and say what so many are unwilling to."

Elissa is also certain that the future of communications lies with content creators, with "real people with influence putting the stories that matter in front of their audiences."

Indeed much of the problem with the mainstream media is that its journalists live in a bubble, an elite completely removed from the problems of the working class. Let's not forget that while Americans were suffering to pay for their markets, because food prices during the Biden administration went up about 20%, the mainstream media spent day and night talking about issues that only interest a leftist elite and are far removed from everyday problems, such as "gender theory" issues.

That is why normal people, who live daily the real problems of the working class, are having so much success on social media. Another guest at the event is Rachel Reeves, a mother from Virginia who had never been involved in politics and in the midst of the pandemic decided to start making political comments on Instagram that have earned her almost 80,000 followers on that platform. 

"When I began sharing my political commentary on social media a little over four years ago, it was born out of my confusion surrounding so man things occurring in our local, state, and federal governments. What began as a small outlet for several friends turned into a growing community of fellow Americans who desire transparency and a pro-American sentiment from our leaders."

Rachel, like Deputy Secretary Landau, stresses that social media is a two-way channel that gives her the opportunity to communicate with and get feedback from her audience, a matter that of course many of the star anchors in the big left-wing media, who are not listening to real Americans and just want to lecture their viewers and repeat their political ideas, do not do.

"My platform has provided a space for myself and others to honestly dialogue and learn together. After years of propaganda and a leftist narrative being pushed by the legacy media, I'm learning independent voices, such as mine, are a felt need in many parts of the internet," Rachel told us.

The event at the State Department, offering a group of influencers and alternative media a chance to talk with the deputy secretary and several of his strategists, shows the importance this administration is giving to people who, without the power of mainstream journalists, are able to reach ordinary Americans and earn their trust by communicating the facts as they really are.

After the event, Deputy Secretary Landau posted the following message on X: "Was a privilege to talk to content creators & influencers attending today's International Women of Courage ceremony. Was already a big fan, but am even more so after meeting them in person. These awesome women are telling stories that need to be heard."