Biden's White House went all in on social media, influencers

The intrigue: Much of this happened during the years-long battle over TikTok's fate in the U.S.

• The app's Chinese parent company is awaiting a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court, facing a deadline to either sell it to an American company or shut down U.S. operations by Sunday.

Zoom in: At one point, four Biden digital staffers were focused on influencers and independent content creators, prioritizing reaching young and suburban voters.

• The idea of giving influencers their own White House briefing room was even floated.
• And the White House hosted its first conference on the creator economy last year, during which Biden snapped selfies and fired off a Dougie dance. It also hosted holiday parties for content creators.

Some Biden-goes-online highlights include:

• Making headlines when his re-election campaign launched its own TikTok account last year with a video captioned "lol hey guys" featuring a "Dark Brandon" appearance.
• Partnering with mega pop star Olivia Rodrigo and influencers like Benito Skinner to promote the COVID vaccine.
• Being interviewed by Daniel Mac — an influencer with more than 14 million TikTok followers who asks drivers of nice cars what they do for a living.

Yes, but: Some creators claimed that the White House interacted only with influencers who were pro-Biden — not those who had voiced criticism of his policies, especially around issues like the Israel-Hamas war.