There appears to be a rebellion among the army of TikTok influencers that President Joe Biden has assembled. It was revealed earlier this year that the White House partnered with TikTokers, and other social media personalities to help the president in his reelection campaign and promote the policies of the administration to younger voters.
It looked like a match meant in heaven. Hamas then decided to ruin everything by launching an incredibly bloody and vicious attack on Israel on 7 October. The Jewish state is now engaged in a powerful counteroffensive, and it is expected that the situation will become more intense.
After Israel’s retaliation began against Hamas, shortly after the first massacre, the anti-Israel crowd began to emerge and demand a ceasefire. Biden initially supported and defended Israel. However, the hard left is now pressuring him to soften his stance. Gen-Z for Change (formerly TikTok for Biden), a group formerly known as TikTok for Biden has joined forces with other leftist organizations to write a public message to the president urging him not to support the Israel/Hamas conflict.
@dwnews♬ original sound – DW News
The authors of the letter begin by describing themselves as a “diverse group of leaders, spanning class, race, and geography”, and stating that they “mobilized record youth turnouts in 2020, which pushed your ticket to the finish line in important swing states.”
They argue that Biden needs to temper his support for Israel or risk losing young voters.
We agree with your belief that the election of 2024 will be the most significant in American history. We are writing to you with a clear and unequivocal warning: your stance and that of your Administration on Gaza could lead to millions of young people staying at home or voting for third parties next year. We urge you to use all the tools at your disposal to broker a truce, immediately, and revive the peace process.
The young activists emphasize the importance of younger voters, stating that “there is absolutely no way a Democratic Presidential nominee can win without significant youth voter excitement and mobilization.”
@kelgarnertn #duet with @Elisa ♬ original sound – Elisa
We didn’t spend hours and hours making calls and knocking on doors to get you out to vote so that we could support the indiscriminate killing of civilians and international law violations. We are afraid that those who want to turn out the youth vote in this election will not be able to find the volunteers, organizers, and donors necessary to secure the margins of victory for the Democrats. We are all grieving and young people are scared across the nation. The Biden administration must stand up to any human rights violation.
What’s missing in the letter? I’ll tell you what it is.
You win a cigar if you correctly guess “any mention or condemnation of Hamas.” It did, however, include data from polls that analyzed young voters’ attitudes toward the war.
The results of the polls show what has been happening in our communities and organizations over the past month.
@news_to_know_tiktok Joe Biden’s Harshly warns the world over getting involved in Israel War. So embarrassing. #joebiden #warzone #gaza #breakingnews #isreal #telaviv #syria #war #warzoneclips #westbank #fypã‚· #foryou #foruyou #president ♬ What If (I Told You I Like You) – Johnny Orlando & Mackenzie Ziegler
A recent Quinnipiac survey shows that young voters are deeply concerned about your stance on the war. Voters under 35 are 65% against “sending more aid to Israel” and 22% approve of how you handled the Israel/Hamas conflict.
In the same poll, your favorability among voters aged under 35 dropped to only 25%. While the young are against giving Israel a blank cheque, 80% of Democrats and 66% of all likely voters back a ceasefire.
Your pollster Lake Research Partners reported that the support for your administration “cratered” among Muslim, Arab, and young Democrats in Michigan, a state that you won in 2020 by just 150,000 votes. Just 61% of Michigan Democrats aged under 30 now support your reelection. 21% voted for the third party.
Biden would be wise to listen to the TikTok brigade’s loyalists, even if the data they cite is accurate. How much influence does this group have? A Pew Research survey conducted last year found that a growing number of young people get their news via the video-sharing app. The study also showed that 26 percent of adults aged under 30 regularly use the app to get their news. This is a substantial portion, but not the majority.
It is still clear that many younger voters do not agree with Biden’s position on Israel. This raises the question: Will they find this issue important enough to vote against President Obama next year?
