Unsurprisingly, Democrats desperate for votes to suppress the incoming red wave are once again reaching out to their pliable, low-information base through TikTok. But even their biggest gun, former President Barack Obama, couldn’t overcome the stilted get-out-the-vote message in his brief yet “painful” cameo.
After the Democratic National Committee organized a trip for select influencers to travel to Washington, D.C., tour the Supreme Court and meet with President Joe Biden, the social media celebrities were primed with all the talking points they needed to push the progressive agenda. As an added bonus, Obama joined the gaggle of propagandists in an effort to spread the message beyond their already considerable reach of millions of followers.
One such video featured the president joining “Under the Desk News,” which is described as a “‘safe space’ for news” that “aims to make news media less intimidating to watch and easier to understand,” and has roughly 2.7 million followers.
The host, Vitus Spehar, could be seen lying under a table before Obama entered the frame to, as Libs of TikTok put it, officially join “in the Democrats’ new fool-proof plan for whenever they need to push an agenda … Collaborating with TikTokers…”
https://twitter.com/libsoftiktok/status/1587628943795855360
“Here’s the thing,” the president said, suggesting to young voters that they could remain in their “safe space” until they were needed to win an election, “you can stay for now, but when it comes time for voting you’re going to have to get up.”
“Because you got climate change legislation on the ballot, you got gun safety. And, if we can elect more pro-choice members of Congress, we can reinstitute Roe v. Wade as the law of the land,” Obama argued. “So, you can’t stay here. You’re gonna have to take a little bit of time to vote.”
Spehar had told The Washington Post, “I think they brought me in as a fairly independent, attempting to be a nonpartisan creator who did not vote for Obama.”
This claim from the creator belied Spehar’s previous position as Director of Impact of “Womxn & LGBTQIA+ Programs” for The James Beard Foundation. The manipulation by the DNC was further highlighted by Spehar stating, “We felt very excited, very optimistic. A lot of the creators talked about how they didn’t get a lot of civics education in school. They were excited to learn about the structure of government and see it in person.”
The video featuring Obama ended with the influencer supposedly admitting, “Is now a bad time to say I voted for McCain in 2008?” to which the president replied, “As long as you voted.”
“Ooof this is painful,” celebrity chef Andrew Gruel posted in reaction.
Ooof this is painful.
— Chef Andrew Gruel (@ChefGruel) November 2, 2022
By painful you mean totally cringe? Yes. pic.twitter.com/DdQXZK2Dlq
— Drucila™ (@Drucila) November 2, 2022
We are close to peak cringe. Even my kids can see it.
— Citrous (@Citrous) November 2, 2022
This wasn’t the only video to feature Obama as another one looked to be more in his wheelhouse of just being on camera for sycophants to fawn over.
President Obama knows the importance of reaching young people where they are — and that’s on TikTok.
So we worked with @TheDemocrats and some fun creators to do just that.
It’s only been a couple of hours, but this video already has almost 3M views, 786k likes, and 28k saves. pic.twitter.com/jUiCjbnDBb
— Merone (@Merone) November 1, 2022
❤️
— Merone (@Merone) November 1, 2022
Writing for The Spectator, Stephen L. Miller reminded how TikTok is still “a legitimate national security threat” that the former president was participating in.
Now Obama is participating on TikTok, a legitimate national security threat. My latest at @TheSpectator https://t.co/MaJZP3qr16 https://t.co/5EPfg1x4fJ
— Stephen L. Miller (@redsteeze) November 2, 2022
“All of this occurred after the release of the Forbes report on October 20, which is surprising considering that the report demonstrated how TikTok could present a national security threat,” Miller wrote. “Forbe’s warnings seem to be going ignored by both media elites and the Biden White House. Instead, they are openly embracing and growing the app itself. If TikTok is on your phone, there’s every chance that it’s listening on behalf of a hostile foreign power. Shouldn’t journalists and the White House care about that?”
@BarackObama has to resort to talking to the @TheDemocrats Party like you would a two year old hiding under a table when they are scared. China owned TicTok is roaring. @Gutfeldfox @greggutfeld
— Allen (@Allen073157) November 2, 2022
Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
- ‘My heart can’t handle this’: World is touched by gripping story of band of dogs who escaped meat factory in China - March 25, 2026
- Michigan father sues school after they file a ‘no trespass’ order against him for exposing giant PRIDE flag - March 25, 2026
- Co-hosts squash Whoopi Goldberg’s argument that she already shows ID to vote - March 25, 2026
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.