Every person I knew on political TikTok got banned, he says.
It was very upsetting.
Now, however, hes back and creating content full-time again.
Revelers at TikTok’s inauguration-eve party on Jan. 19, 2025.Nate Gowdy for Rolling Stone
He has found a dedicated audience on X (formerly Twitter) along with Instagram and Snapchat.
I told everyone back in the day TikTok would be critical for the election, he says.
He recently secured his old TikTok handle and has been working to rebuild.
Pearson spearheaded the RNCs youth advisory council and wrangled young influencers into supporting Trump.
Debono serves as chief marketing officer of Date Right, a conservative dating platform.
The party on Sunday night was a chance to finally celebrate their success.
Independent journalists and activists are exploding in growth and influence while legacy media continues to become more irrelevant.
The media was a big topic among those there.
The event felt like a bizarre sideshow to the main inauguration festivities.
Multi platform YouTube and TikTok stars like Bryce Hall are in attendance.
The party is also a testament to the growing influence of content creators in the political arena.
At Sundays party, Trumps influencer web connection is on full display.
There are content creators from every platform imaginable.
Many influencers speak highly of X, where they said it has become easier to monetize thanks to Musk.
TikTok is the platform most on peoples minds.
I dont think hes particularly ideological… Hes probably trying to get concessions from both [sides].
TikTok, meanwhile, has been eager to make conservative stars feel welcome.
Shortly before midnight the rapper Lil Pump shows up before a performance by fellow rapper Waka Flocka Flame.
For many influencers and attendees, the event feels like a coming out party.
Some say theyd been nervous to openly identify as conservative prior to Trumps win.
During Trumps first presidency, brands were hesitant to partner with creators who were overtly political or pro-Trump.
Now, things are changing.
This party represents a new beginning, says DuRousseau.
You have all these different creators and influencers coming together to celebrate this new chapter in Americas history.
Young people have always been inherently rebellious, he adds.
And finally, we just became non-apologetic.
Nearly all of the influencers at the event seem to have a lingering frustration with the tech industry.
They speak about being censored and losing access to accounts and struggling to reach people online.
Ginsberg says he hopes Trump can make it more difficult for the social media companies to kick people off.
The ideology of the influencers in attendance was diverse.
A couple people at the party say they are primarily there because of Trumps work to restore TikTok.
Others say that theyre attending to show support for the president broadly and it looked like fun.
He then asks his girlfriend if she has any opinions.
She bows her head.
She doesnt think women should vote, Ginsberg says.
No one gets info from the MSM anymore.
Johnston echoes that sentiment, but says that he hopes the entire internet doesnt just become conservative.
I hope theres complete free speech.
We want to have good discourse with the other side.
