Biden told creators they have something traditional media doesn’t: ‘You are trusted’

The most popular person at the first-ever White House Creator Economy Conference wasn’t a TikTok superstar or YouTube sensation. It was President Joe Biden, who emphasized the role social media creators play in shaping public opinion.

“Up until about three, four months ago, I didn’t really pay much attention to following you guys,” President Biden said, referring to content creators, adding that his granddaughter prompted him to take a closer look at how social media allows more people to reach a larger platform.

“He called me up and said, ‘Dad, you’ve got to start listening to these people,’ you being the people. And that’s why I wanted to invite you to the White House.”

The president and his granddaughter have a point. According to a study by the Pew Research Center, nearly half of U.S. adults at least occasionally get news from social media, including content creators.

“There are no editors anymore,” Biden said of the traditional press. “You want to see your name in the news. You want to get clicks. It’s not always the best way to get it by doing something positive.”

The very fact that the White House is holding a creator economy event is significant, especially at a time when some lawmakers have trouble distinguishing between Roku and YouTube. Still, the White House has consistently rolled out initiatives related to the growing role of creators in political messaging. Christian Tom, director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy, has become a permanent fixture at VidCon. Biden’s re-election effort (which is separate from his administration and has since been absorbed by Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign) went so far as to hire a meme manager to reach more digitally native voters.

Biden also embraced the creators with open arms when they briefed him on important issues such as the war in Ukraine and the efficacy of the coronavirus vaccine.

Even at the Creator Economy Conference, some creators speaking on the panel seemed to reiterate the sentiment behind legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA). The bipartisan bill, backed by Biden, would impose a duty of care on social media platforms, but it could have unintended consequences that could threaten digital privacy and anonymity. White House domestic policy adviser Neera Tanden spoke in favor of KOSA, while creators Lexi Hidalgo and Jackie Aina both indicated they did not think people should have the right to remain anonymous on social media platforms.

Though Biden also touched on mental health in his speech, his main message to creators was to not take their audience’s trust for granted.

“It’s becoming literally incredibly hard to count the number of lies that people hear. They don’t know who to believe,” President Biden said. “You end up moving in ways that I think are going to change the whole dynamic of the way we communicate.”

He then joked that this is why he invited creators to the White House. He said, “I’m looking for a job.”

The difference between traditional press and new media was clear during the president’s speech. About 100 startup founders, industry stakeholders and creators — including independent newspaper writers — sat on the floor of the Indian Treaty Room, while press from traditional outlets joined the White House press pool in a separate area.

“Is this the fake press or the real press?” he said. “It was a joke. It was a joke.”

Biden allowed the audience to ask questions at the end of his speech, but not the press.

“Any non-press […] “If you want to ask me a question, you can ask me,” he said. “I can’t answer that. I want to stay on topic. I don’t want to talk about what’s going on in foreign policy right now.”

When a member of the press pool asked the president a question about Venezuelan politics, the press pool was kicked out of the room for the remainder of Biden’s visit, which lasted about thirty minutes in total. If anything, the incident only furthered the line that Biden had drawn between traditional and new media.

“The biggest thing for you is that you are trusted, and I hope you keep that,” the president told the creators. “You are trusted. And that makes a difference.”