Donald Trump’s presidential campaign continues to prioritize internet clout over institutional credibility. With many of the experts and former Trump administration officials — all the way up to and including his vice president — having spoken out about the danger the former president poses to the United States if he’s elected again, Trump and his campaign have had to rely more on support from internet influencers, including rappers and combat sports figures, to boost his electoral chances.
The underlying message of Trump’s alignment with these figures seems clear: to suggest to voters that his lurch toward authoritarianism isn’t as bad as liberals claim. In fact, these influencers would have you believe it’s actually pretty cool. Conservatives like Rep. Matt Gaetz, Sen. Mike Lee and former Fox News host Tucker Carlson have already shown their affinity for such figures in their fawning over El Salvador’s authoritarian leader Nayib Bukele, the self-proclaimed “World’s Coolest Dictator.”
This is helpful context for the support Trump is receiving now from internet influencers Jake and Logan Paul. Jake Paul has fashioned himself into a professional boxer, a kind of modern-day “Great White Hope.” And Logan Paul is a professional wrestler in the WWE, an organization with a long history of working with Trump and promoting his businesses. (Trump has kept in contact with his friend and beleaguered former WWE chairman Vince McMahon).
On Wednesday, the Trump campaign promoted this awkward video of Trump gifting Paul a T-shirt with his (literal) mugshot on it, ahead of Trump’s appearance on Logan Paul’s podcast.
And Jake Paul appeared on Fox News host Jesse Watters’ show to make his claim for why he thinks the Biden administration has failed Americans. You might get a kick out of the segment, if for no other reason than it’s a solid example of the Trumpian delusion and grift.
In the segment (which you can watch here), Paul, who’s amassed great fame and personal wealth under the Biden administration, complains about the economy (which has actually been performing quite well lately). The kick is that Paul appears to be making these claims from inside his multimillion-dollar mansion, sitting in front of a giant portrait of himself. Then he meanders into an odd, paranoid claim about “what they’re putting in our food,” which he uses as a segue to plug a body spray he’s promoting.
There’s irony in Paul’s anxiety about the food supply. Some might argue he’s not the best source to discuss harmful things in people’s diet, considering the concerns that have been raised about what's in his brother Logan’s energy drink, Prime (which is the subject of a class-action lawsuit that claims it contains high levels of "forever chemicals"; Paul responded in a TikTok in April that "anyone can sue anyone at any time that does not make the lawsuit true. And in this case, it is not." The company has moved to dismiss the case). Not to mention that, as far as choice of candidates goes, it was Donald Trump who rolled back food safety regulations as president and endangered food safety in the process.
But Trump’s alignment with influencers like the Paul brothers isn’t about facts, it’s about framing. It’s meant to contrast Trump — whom they portray as strong, virile and cool — with President Joe Biden, whom they portray as weak, feeble and uncool.
As if to say, “Ignore that Trump was liable for sexual abuse. Ignore that he’s been convicted for committing fraud to get elected. Ignore that he’s vowed to crack down on purported 'anti-white sentiment.' Ignore that he wants to indemnify police who abuse their power. He’s cool with us.”
It’s the argument one makes when a candidate doesn't have much institutional credibility and must play up who they know for clout.