I can’t pretend WH social media meet up isn’t hysterically funny. Overpaid conservative commentators gave Obama so much shit for doing a YouTube interview or some shit w/ a tween and now emperor trump is gonna surround himself with walking memes because he’s mad about his ratios
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) July 11, 2019
For edutainment purposes / posterity only, since this is one of those social-media sites…
Actually, the invitation list seems to have been curated (as the Youngs say) with a certain level of craft: The real bottomfeeders and genuine crazies didn’t get invited, just those one-foot-in-each-camp opportunists who are too careless for Fox Media and too careful to get banned by the big platforms.
… The White House hasn’t released a public list of attendees for the Thursday afternoon event, but a number of pro-Trump personalities have posted invitations on Twitter. They include Ali Alexander, a right-wing operative pushing a smear that Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Kamala Harris (CA) isn’t really “an American Black,” a pro-Trump “memesmith” who goes by the screenname “@CarpeDonktum,” and blogger Jim Hoft, whose Gateway Pundit blog frequently promotes hoaxes.
The invitee list also includes more traditional White House visitors, including Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and representatives from campus conservative group Turning Point USA and conservative YouTube channel PragerU. In an Instagram post, Turning Point executive Benny Johnson promised to use the conference to give Trump “dank meme ideas.”…
Notably, the group so far doesn’t appear to include anyone who has actually been banned from major social platforms, even though those bans have played a significant role in driving accusations on the right that the social giants are biased. Pro-Trump figures like anti-Muslim activist Laura Loomer, InfoWars conspiracy theorist Alex Jones, and Proud Boys men’s group founder Gavin McInnes, for example, don’t appear to have been invited…
It looks like Social Media Summit attendees have to submit their questions to Trump in advance, judging by posts from invitees. Could cut down on the potential for craziness. pic.twitter.com/3Xdl7L37Aj
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) July 11, 2019
Milo is angry he wasn't invited too, pic.twitter.com/e3G6kQJOIJ
— JJ MacNab (@jjmacnab) July 11, 2019
Of course, count on Infowars to show up anyway (and not get chased off):
infowars is interviewing bill mitchell outside the white house digital media summit pic.twitter.com/sKoRbRMvtp
— Caleb Ecarma (@calebecarma) July 11, 2019
L-R: Ali ‘Kamala’s Not Really Black’ Alexander, James ‘Breitbart’s Bastard Son’ O’Keefe III, TP-USA’s Charlie ‘Diaper Boy’ Kirk, and Gateway Pundit Jim ‘Dumbest Man on the Internet’ Hoft
Only the best and brightest. #FML pic.twitter.com/UpJUdRyLc7
— BT (@back_ttys) July 11, 2019
And one more who couldn’t bear to stay away…
just now, from a source familiar: last minute addition to the President Trump White House social media gathering: @DonaldJTrumpJr. https://t.co/OKYDSJJGs6
— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) July 11, 2019
Notes from an actual journalist with the ‘nut graf‘ of the proceedings:
This strikes me as semi-notable — Trump semi-empathizes with social media companies' decision to ban certain people, calling their content "out there" and "bad." https://t.co/HoqDl7YsZl
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 11, 2019
Trump says "some" of the people at the social media event are "extraordinary," telling them, "The crap you think of is unbelievable."
— Daniel Dale (@ddale8) July 11, 2019
Open Thread: Trump’s (Anti-) “Social Media (Not-) Summit”Post + Comments (26)