Bowling, Selfies and the ‘Dougie’: Biden Woos Influencers at the White House

As soon as President Biden walked into the Indian Treaty Room across the street from the White House on Wednesday, the smartphones flew up. Dozens of social media influencers and people who work with them stood almost in unison to capture the moment.

Mr. Biden turned his back. Then he whipped out his own phone to take selfies with them, before delivering remarks on how creators represented the future of communication.

“I have a bunch of grandchildren, and with all due respect, they don’t read the same newspapers or watch the same television I do,” he said. “They listen to all of you.”

Mr. Biden seemed to relish the chance to connect with the influencers, joking that he wanted them to give him a job and overriding his aides to riff with the group even after he was scheduled to depart. When a TikTok star known for videos about taxes jumped onstage and asked the commander in chief to do the “Dougie” celebratory dance with him, Mr. Biden obliged — a moment that was, of course, posted online within a few hours.

Mr. Biden’s appearance was part of the White House’s first conference focused on the creator economy. The event was a capstone of the administration’s efforts to court and celebrate digital creators as an avenue for speaking directly to Americans in an increasingly fragmented media landscape.