Trump Embraces Snapchat as Battle for 2020 Youth Vote Heats Up

Political memes vie with app’s face filters in U.S. election
Up to 500,000 Snap users become old enough to vote each month

The Snap Inc. Snapchat application is displayed in the App Store on an Apple Inc. iPhone in an arranged photograph taken in Tiskilwa, Illinois, U.S., on Monday, Feb. 4, 2019. Snap Inc. is scheduled to release earnings figures on February 5.Photographer: Daniel Acker/Bloomberg

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By Sarah Frier

May 13, 2020 at 9:00 AM UTC

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The day the U.S. 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.”