It has been a year since Trump was elected. Democrats still don’t have access to the internet
After the big loss In 2024, Democrats promised a digital census.
But 12 months on from that devastating loss table, the Democrats’ digital plans are still plagued by the same problems that doomed them last year. Despite millions of dollars in influencer investment and “lessons learned” memos, party insiders say Democrats are still stuck with running social media programs that strive for authenticity but often conflict with the party’s relentless desire to maintain control.
“I can’t for the life of me understand why we’re still so rigid and adjusting everything when we have nothing to lose the first time,” said one Democratic digital strategist, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “All the threats of fascism and right-wing domination. It’s all here.”
This risk aversion has made it difficult for Democrats to innovate. In June, the Democratic National Committee launched a new show on YouTube called Daily plan. In a statement, DNC Chairman Ken Martin said the program — which features news headlines and interviews with party officials in an effort to go MSNBC-lite — “is our commitment to rise to the moment and innovate the ways we get our message across in a new media landscape.”
The show, hosted by DNC Deputy Communications Director Hannah Moldavin, has only had about 16,000 views in more than 100 episodes since its debut.
“We’re focused on reaching as many people as possible, and we’ve made great strides in expanding our reach this year,” a DNC spokesperson told WIRED. Since January, the DNC has seen massive follower growth on high-traffic platforms like TikTok and Instagram, with over 3.8 billion views accumulated on our accounts. We’re building relationships with hundreds of creators so the Democratic Party has a constant presence in voters’ feeds, narrowing interests and backgrounds. “We are investing in a new cycle for digital manufacturing.”
But for some Democratic strategists, Daily plan It is emblematic of how the party continues to promote its least influential digital communications. Since the government shutdown earlier this month, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer has been hosting a series of high-profile videos that barely register outside of the Washington, D.C., ecosystem. “If you’re not ready to swing or throw gum at the wall right now, then when are you going to?” says Ravi Mangala, national press secretary for the Working Families Party, a small progressive party that has previously criticized the Democratic National Committee. (Schumer’s Senate office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.)
Young Democratic activists say this stems from a broader culture of gatekeeping, not just who is allowed to speak for the party, but what content is released through official channels. Organizermemes, a creator and digital strategist, says the people who approve the content “are not young and are not posters.” “They can’t explain why things [online] Well done their “theory of mind” is often fundamentally wrong because they are not involved in actually doing it.
