After the new US government took office, the White House invited some internet celebrities and non-traditional media journalists to attend press conferences. Behind this is not only a change in the public's habit of obtaining news, but also the layout of the Trump administration's "new media" strategy. In response to the Republican Party's "fierce attack" in the field of "new media", Democrats have also had to embrace internet celebrities, even making themselves internet celebrities. The move by both parties also raises concerns about further polarization in the United States.
Multiple bloggers become guests of honor at the White House
According to The New York Times, in the delicate "ecosystem" of the White House press conference room, seats showcase the status of the media. Therefore, the announcement by White House Press Secretary Levitt to add a seat for "new media" has attracted widespread attention. Levitt distributed a chair next to his podium, which was previously occupied by White House officials, to "new media" journalists, including podcast bloggers, internet celebrities, and other creators of "news related content".
On January 28th, Levitt was interviewed by two journalists from "New Media". However, these two individuals are not considered "new" to the White House press team, with the first to ask being Mike Allen, the head of Axios News Network in the United States, who has worked as a journalist for media outlets such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. Axios Although journalists from News Network had previously attended the White House press conference, they did not have a fixed seat, and many editors from the website believed that attending the meeting did not have much value. The second "new media" reporter asked is Boyle, the head of the Washington branch of the far right Breitbart News Network. For many years, reporters from this news website have been regularly attending White House press conferences, but they also do not have fixed seats.
In addition to the two individuals mentioned above, the "new media" reporters appearing at the White House also include John Ashbrook, the host of the podcast "Heartless," Natalie Winters, the co host of the social media Rumble "War Room," podcast blogger Serge Steele, and Graham Allen, the host of the podcast "Dear America. The "Ruthless" podcast is a program hosted by four young people, which claims to be a "next-generation conservative talk show" and provides "easy analysis of current news". The Guardian of the UK introduced the "Heartless" podcast in 2021, stating that its hosts include Josh Holmes, Michael Duncan, and a lawyer named "Comfortable and Self righteous" on Twitter (now X). This podcast began operating shortly before the 2020 presidential election, targeting right-wing conservative audiences. The host will criticize mainstream media and well-known journalists, Trump critics, and some Democratic officials. In the seven months since the first episode aired, the program hosted eight federal senators, three federal congressmen, one governor, and several important Republican figures. At Levitt's second press conference, John Ashbrook, the host of the "Heartless" podcast, was asked to ask the first question. Ashbrooke said, "Do you (Levitte) think they (traditional media) don't understand the situation that Americans are asking to take action against our border crisis?" Levitte responded that the mainstream media "must be disconnected" on the issue of illegal immigration.
The Wall Street Journal introduced that "War Room" is a "aimless, no script podcast program" that airs 4 hours a day from Monday to Friday and 2 hours on Saturdays. It is very popular among the MAGA (Make America Great Again) community. The other host of "War Room" is Bannon, who served as the White House Chief Strategist and Senior Advisor to the President during Trump's first term. Except for Bannon, the staff of the program are mainly young people in their 20s. The Brookings Institution, a think tank in the United States, analyzed over 36000 podcast episodes in a 2023 study and concluded that "Room of War" is the biggest disseminator of misinformation. Republican federal lawmakers in the United States are competing to appear on this program.
For Natalie Winters, Yahoo News reported that she is 23 years old, blonde, blue eyed, "young, stubborn, and openly supportive of Trump. According to US media reports, on his first day working in the White House press conference room on January 28th, Winters sparked controversy for wearing a short skirt and was criticized for not dressing professionally.
Serge Steele previously served as a host for ESPN and now hosts a podcast program. Steele is critical of transgender individuals participating in women's sports competitions, stating that it is "unfair to women". Levitt asked Steele to raise the first question at a press conference on February 5th, after which Steele reported on Trump's executive order to 'keep men away from women's sports'.
According to media reports such as The Atlantic, Graham Allen, the host of the "Dear America" podcast, previously claimed that "climate change is part of a liberal conspiracy to control humanity. He is now serving as the Director of Digital Media at the US Department of Defense.
An American News Network reporter has also become a guest of honor at the White House recently. According to The New York Times, the media was founded in San Diego in 2013 and is a conservative media outlet that has been supporting Trump since 2016 and has been spreading conspiracy theories.
In addition, Buglen, the boyfriend of Georgia Republican Congressman Marjorie Taylor Green and a reporter for the online media "Voice of America", was given the opportunity to ask Trump questions in the Oval Office. Benny Johnson is a MAGA internet celebrity from Florida. He recently interviewed Vice President Vance of the United States and also livestreamed his conversations with two Republican federal senators at the Capitol building.
May usher in the era of fake news
While introducing more "new media" faces, the US government is also driving some traditional media out of the White House press conference room. Due to refusing to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America" as requested by Trump, Associated Press journalists have been indefinitely banned from entering the White House Oval Office and the US presidential plane, Air Force One, starting from February 11th.
The Associated Press has sued three Trump administration officials for violating freedom of speech, but its request to restore access to White House press conferences has been rejected by a court. On February 25th, Levitt announced that the White House will independently determine the members of the White House press team responsible for conducting close interviews with the President. This decision breaks decades of tradition, as the White House press corps list was previously handled by the White House Correspondents' Association. It is worth noting that the US Department of Defense has also taken similar actions, announcing that media outlets such as The New York Times and NBC will be removed from the Pentagon to make room for "new media" such as "One American News Network".
The emergence of these new faces not only symbolizes the transfer of power in the White House, but also marks the status of various media in 2025. According to Yahoo News, one of the reasons for the emergence of "new media" reporters in the White House is the decline of traditional media and the decrease in public trust in them. Semafor News Network in the United States reported that the online traffic of The Washington Post has "sharply declined" in the past four years, and audiences have been moving away from traditional media such as CNN after the election. The New York Times is one of the few traditional media outlets that has performed well, with 350000 new digital users added in the fourth quarter of last year.
At the same time, a recent survey by Gallup, an American pollster, found that only 31% of Americans expressed "very" or "quite" trust in accurate news reporting by the media, which is the lowest point ever. More and more American people, especially young people, are getting news on social media or from some internet celebrities. According to a survey released by the Pew Research Center after the 2024 US election, 21% of American adults stated that they frequently obtain news from internet celebrities; 37% of people under the age of 30 say they often rely on internet celebrities for news.
For the White House's "new media", Dana and others interviewed by the Global Times' special correspondent in the United States believe that this is an inevitable process that acknowledges the changes in the way people consume news today, and also allows the public to hear more voices and perspectives. However, Austin stated that the news industry is a field that requires training and professional knowledge, and should strive to maintain objectivity, allowing biased and untrained internet celebrities to report news that may lead to the spread of misinformation.
According to Yahoo News, some senior journalists in the United States are skeptical about the White House's establishment of a "new media" seat, believing that it is an attempt by the Trump administration to obtain more favorable coverage. A senior journalist pointed out that it is good for "new media" journalists to enter the White House, but the premise is that they were not selected for openly supporting Trump.
The Australian "Dialogue" news website stated that inviting internet celebrities to the White House press conference room could potentially undermine public respect for the news industry, potentially ushering in an era of fake news. A survey conducted by the Pew Research Center in November last year found that 77% of news influencers currently or in the past have no experience working in traditional media. Many of them also do not spend time reviewing the sources of information they share with their audience. A survey conducted by UNESCO in 2024 on some top digital content creators found that 62% of them stated that they did not review the accuracy of news content before publishing it.
Democratic lawmakers compete to become political internet celebrities
The appearance of "new media" journalists at the White House is just part of the Trump administration's media strategy. According to The Washington Post, the White House has established a news rapid response team consisting of approximately 12 employees, most of whom are young people in their twenties and thirties. The White House has also hired video producers and editors to produce and publish short videos in real-time.
After creating some news related emojis or quickly editing some news into short videos, the above group members and video editors distribute them on multiple social media channels. For example, on March 4th, when Trump delivered his first speech at a joint session of Congress, the account of this rapid response group posted 207 posts on X, averaging nearly 9 posts per hour, including Trump's recordings, interviews with supporters, and emojis criticizing the Democratic Party. During the heated debate between Trump, Vance, and Ukrainian President Zelensky at the White House, the White House account also released multiple videos and photos that could be used to create emojis. White House officials have stated that Trump's communication team is doing this not only to drown out opponents' voices, but also to reshape the narrative.
The Democratic Party is also implementing its own "new media" strategy, not only collaborating with internet celebrities, but also personally going out to become political internet celebrities. According to media outlets such as NPR, the Democratic National Convention in August last year invited some internet celebrities to support the party. On the day of Trump's first speech at a joint session of Congress, Democratic lawmakers uploaded numerous videos on social media in an attempt to break through Trump's dominance over the news. On the Senate side, more than 20 Democrats released a video titled 'This is Not True', reading the same script and conducting a fact check on Trump's promise to lower commodity prices. In the House of Representatives, many female Democratic lawmakers have recorded a video called 'Choose Your Warrior'. In the video, they jump around in a fighting posture and share their achievements and interesting stories. This video was posted on his social media account by an internet celebrity known for making food. Democratic institutions also provide collar microphones and digital media strategy booklets to party members to help them adapt to the trend of "new media".
Experts have expressed concerns about the Trump administration's media strategy, as its purpose is to weaken the checks and balances on government power. The Democratic Party's internet celebrity strategy has also raised doubts. We are more interested in the actual actions of the legislators, rather than asking them to paint a cat and a tiger, "said an assistant to a Democratic congressman.
The influence of internet celebrities and new media on American politics is gradually expanding, and some even refer to the 2024 US election as the "internet celebrity election" because in addition to the Democratic Party, the Republican Party also invited internet celebrities to campaign rallies. Polarized media, divided audience. "Australia's" Dialogue "commentary suggests that steadily elevating the status of some internet celebrities who have partisan tendencies and use increasingly dangerous language may lead to the American public losing confidence in important institutions and mechanisms, including the media. In addition, during Trump's second term, the US news media may become more polarized, and Zuckerberg has decided to eliminate the fact checking mechanism of the "meta", which will further exacerbate polarization and lead to more provocative political information on social media.
(Editer：admin)
