5 key media & PR moments of the US election
As the US goes to the polls, we assess the key media and PR moments of a bruising and dramatic campaign.
- Debate dramas
Biden’s incoherent performance in the first TV debate was described as a ‘slow-motion car crash’. The president bowed out soon after, opening the door for Harris to take over. In the second debate, the vice-president won plaudits for outmanoeuvring Trump, but his unfounded claim that Haitian migrants in Ohio were stealing and eating pets showed his continued ability to take the media oxygen. Harris clearly won the debate, but the headlines (and the memes) were dominated by “They’re eating the dogs, they’re eating the cats”.
- Trump ‘raised fist’ photo
The image of a blood-stained and defiant Donald Trump, moments after an assassination attempt, fist in the air, surrounded by Secret Service agents and with the American flag in the background, proved the power of a single news photo to shape a campaign narrative.
- Taylor Swift ‘Cat Lady’ endorses Harris
Misinformation is once again a key theme of the election, with an important moment featuring Taylor Swift. After fake AI posts emerged of Swift endorsing Trump, she went on Instagram to endorse Harris, calling on her 272 million followers to register to vote. Over 400,000 did so. The media-savvy megastar used a picture of her cat and signed off as ‘Childless Cat Lady’, swiping at comments made by Trump’s running mate, JD Vance.
- Podcasts show their superpower
This was the podcast election, as Harris connected with Gen Z women on the popular pod ‘Call her Daddy’ and Trump doubled down on his male voter base with an interview on the ‘Joe Rogan Experience’. Using these two giant pods helped Trump and Harris target voters who may not be swayed by traditional media and generated a wealth of clips to drive engagement on social channels.
- Musk and Bezos weigh in
Media moguls have always flexed their muscle in elections, but the intervention of X’s Elon Musk and Amazon owner Jeff Bezos worried many in the 2024 US race. Musk’s million-dollar giveaway for voter registrations in Philadelphia outraged democracy-watchers, while it’s reported that Bezos was behind his paper, The Washington Post, deciding not to endorse a candidate in the election.
