Snap Inc’s app, known for ephemeral photo messages and bizarre face filters, is suddenly a hot battleground in the 2020 presidential campaign. — AdamPrzezdziek/Visual Hunt/CC BY-SA
The day the US Senate acquitted Donald Trump of impeachment charges, his re-election campaign staff posted a video on Snapchat, where they knew young voters would see it. "Liberals tonight:” it starts. A woman falls to her knees and screams a guttural "NO!!” as newscasters announce Trump’s 2016 presidential win. Then, a spoof cover of Time Magazine shows signs for TRUMP 2028, TRUMP 2032, and so on until a final flourish: "TRUMP 4EVA”.
The clip is one of Trump’s most popular Snapchat posts, according to the campaign. It pushes the right social-media buttons, coming across more like an Internet meme than a traditional political message. Videos like this have helped Trump’s Snapchat following nearly triple to over 1.5 million in about eight months, far exceeding rival Joe Biden’s audience on the app. But the former vice president is starting to invest in the app, too: On May 13, he’s giving an interview on Snapchat’s political news show, Good Luck America.
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