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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
James Liddell

Trump turns to teen son Barron and his influencer best friend to try to rival Harris’s ‘brat’ Gen Z appeal

AP

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Donald Trump is said to have turned to his teenage son Barron and his influencer best friend Bo Loudon in a bid to beat Vice President Kamala Harris in drawing in Gen Z voters.

Since stepping up to top the Democratic party’s ticket last month, 59-year-old Harris has quickly found favor with a young electorate.

Popstar Charli XCX, 31, declared that “Kamala is brat” – a term the singer said she coined to represent someone who keeps “a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter and a strappy white top with no bra.”

Harris has also inspired numerous memes and fandom through her K Hive following, including bizarrely becoming synonymous with coconuts thanks to a resurfaced 2023 clip that went viral on TikTok.

“You think you just fell out of a coconut tree?” she asked. Politicians and supporters shared the meme, with some sporting a coconut emoji alongside their names on X.

So if “Kamala IS brat,” then what is 78-year-old Trump?

Donald Trump in nine points behind Harris with the Gen Z and Millennialavote, according to a recent poll (AP)

The former president – who is now the oldest presidential candidate in history – has reached out to Bo Loudon, the 17-year-old right-wing influencer and best friend of Trump’s youngest son 18-year-old Barron, to help, according to The Daily Mail.

Barron and Bo have apparently been tasked with pinpointing which influencers and content creators might help Trump garner support amongst young voters.

“Trump rates the boys and sees their input as an asset,” a source told the Daily Mail.

“He has no issues turning to them for advice on a subject that many of his middle-aged campaign aides wouldn’t have much of a clue about.”

Barron and Bo are said to have been behind Trump’s 90-minute interview with Kick influencer Adin Ross last week which saw the former president gifted a golden Rolex and a Tesla Cybertruck.

Donald Trump told right-wing streamer Adin Ross that his son, Barron, is the one who introduced him to Ross’s content (Adin Live / YouTube)

The bizarre stream peaked at 500,000 views – though Trump claimed without evidence that 100 million people tuned in.

The teen duo were also reportedly involvement in setting up a so-called power banquet at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort which saw the likes of PDB Podcast host Patrick Bet-David and the right-wing influencer branded Andrew Tate’s “Heir Apparent” Justin Waller.

“Bo reached out to me and told me that Barron watches my content and would like to invite me to dinner at Mar-a-Lago,” Waller told The Mail.

Loudon is the son of Dr Gina Loudon – the conservative television pundit and former co-chair of Women for Trump in 2020 – and John Loudon – former Missouri state senator. The family live in South Florida and are frequent visitors to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

Barron, Trump’s 18-year-old son, is said to be helping the GOP candidate connect with Gen Z (Reuters)

Loudon’s involvement has not been officially confirmed. The Independent has reached out to the Trump campaign for further information.

This comes amid a surge in support for Harris among Gen Z – born between 1997 and 2012 – and Millennials – born between 1981 and 1996.

The vice president leads Trump 51 per cent to 42 per cent with younger voter, according to a new poll commissioned by Democratic-aligned Won’t PAC Down.

Harris’s Gen Z support has now been branded “Kamalove”, a viral phrase first used by left-leaning lobby group Voters of Tomorrow.

During the 2020 presidential election, Gen Z electorate voted heavily in favor of President Joe Biden over Trump by a 20 point margin.

A more recent poll commissioned by CBS News in June – before the president abandoned his re-election campaign – found that voters under 30 backed Biden over Trump by a 23-point margin.

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