Through social media, young political figures have emerged across the political spectrum, and they have led fellow members of Gen Z to become more engaged politically.
One such influencer is President Donald Trump’s eldest granddaughter, Kai Trump. With over 5 million followers combined on TikTok and Instagram, she has become popular on social media, posting content from speaking at the 2024 Republican National Committee (RNC) to practicing her golf swing at the White House.
Throughout President Trump’s presidential campaign, some believe his daughter, Kai Trump, was used as a political prop in order to humanize the president. Some news outlets say that Kai Trump was able to entice the younger female audience to vote through her RNC speech.
“To me, he’s just a normal grandpa,” Kai Trump said in her speech. “He gives us candy and soda when our parents are not looking. He always wants to know how we’re doing in school.”
On the other end of the spectrum, multiple left-leaning political influencers have emerged on the Internet as well, attempting to persuade Gen Zers to vote blue. One of these influencers is Dean Withers, a 21-year-old political commentator with over 9 million followers across platforms. Withers first gained popularity through debates on his live streams with Trump supporters.
Additionally, Withers was featured in multiple videos on the YouTube channel Jubilee, where he discussed political issues with influential conservatives Charlie Kirk and Nick Fuentes. Jemma ’27, who studies political biases in the Honors Research in Humanities program, doubts these influencers’ ability to increase adolescents’ engagement with global news.
“While some seem to be shouting into voids, there are more than a few of these self-proclaimed political influencers with dedicated fanbases whose passions seem to be ridiculing and publicly shaming random, uninformed people who, instead of being respectfully debated or educated privately, are aired out to the viewers eagerly awaiting to further tear these people apart,” Jemma said.
Additionally, some influencers have come to TikTok to discuss their political views without any motive to persuade people to vote. Despite these influencers’ indifference to political persuasion, many teenagers have come to view them as political figures of the younger generation. One such example is Romy Mars, an 18-year-old singer and actress with over half a million followers on TikTok.
“Romy Mars, at least in my eyes, is primarily trying to aggressively reassure her audience that despite her nepotism, whiteness and wealth, she is not like every other privileged kid,” Jemma said.
The “A-Lister” singer has made posts criticizing President Trump and his supporters across platforms. On a TikTok video posted in October 2025, Mars stitched Kai Trump’s viral post golfing at the White House.
“Oh my God, girl, are you golfing in the White House?” she said. “That’s so cool. Can we see those Epstein files?”
This video has gained immense popularity, receiving over 2 million views.
“Ultimately, political influencers do staggeringly little to benefit anyone in any political camp,” Jemma said. “Instead, they further drive division and polarization in a time when the opposite is needed.”
