President Biden Brings In TikTok Stars To Help Sway Public Opinion Over Russia’s Invasion Of Ukraine

During the height of the virus outbreak, President Joe Biden’s administration authorized thousand dollar cash payments to create a TikTok “Influencer Army '' as part of the campaign to get people vaccinated. High school student Ellie Zeiler, a 17-year-old TikToker with over ten million followers, was approached by the White House with an interesting offer. Zeiler was requested to partake in a campaign to entice her followers and young people to get vaccinated.

About 50 Twitch streamers, YouTubers and TikTokers with large followings, including the popular 18-year-old star, Olivia Rodrigo, joined up. Some states and local municipalities started similar campaigns.

They are now going back to this playbook, except it's for the Russian invasion of the Ukraine. Top White House and National Security Council staffers held a briefing with around 30 top influential social media content creators.

The content creators were offered an overview of what is going on in the Ukraine and the views of the U.S. Press Secretary Jen Psaki and National Security Council adviser Matt Miller. The TikTokers were virtually briefed on the war, and White House officials answered the creators' questions. The subjects ranged from relief efforts to the frightening possibility of a Russia nuclear attack. Psaki told the young TikTok celebrities, "The best antidote to disinformation is the truth.”