Topline
A rare collision of two of social media’s most powerful forces–American politics and K-pop supergroup BTS–led to President Joe Biden’s top tweet in office this week, after he hosted the group at the White House to speak out against a rise in hate crimes against Asian-Americans, though it still lags well behind his two immediate predecessors’ most popular posts on Twitter.
President Joe Biden walks on the South Lawn after he returned to the White House on August 10, 2021, … [+] in Washington. (Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Key Facts
Biden posted a tweet late Tuesday night featuring a video of his meeting with BTS, which quickly became the top tweet he’s published during his presidency.
The tweet has attracted more than 400,000 retweets as of Saturday afternoon, along with over 976,000 likes, making it the fifth most-popular tweet over the past week, according to data compiled by social media tracking firm NewsWhip.
Four of the Top 10 tweets this week were from official BTS accounts—continuing a string of dominance for the group as it promotes an upcoming album
The video of Biden’s conversation with BTS has been viewed more than 6 million times.
Surprising Fact
Biden’s tweet, with a little over 1.3 million interactions, pales in comparison to the top tweets former President Donald Trump and former President Barack Obama published while in office. Trump’s top tweet—his October 2, 2020, announcement of a positive Covid test–gathered more than 2.2 million interactions, while an Obama tweet thanking his supporters shortly before leaving office topped 2.3 million interactions.
Crucial Quote
“People care a lot about what you say,” Biden said in his meeting with BTS. “It’s not just your great talent—it’s the message you’re communicating. It matters.”
Key Background
Biden’s White House has hosted several top pop stars to promote a variety of causes, such as Selena Gomez last week to raise awareness of mental health resources and Olivia Rodrigo last year to encourage Covid vaccinations among young people. But BTS’ visit attracted significantly more attention than others, in large part because of the group’s massive and fervently loyal online fanbase, known as the BTS Army. More than 300,000 people watched the White House press briefing live stream on Tuesday, where members of the group spoke briefly about combating anti-Asian hate.
Contra
Fox News host Tucker Carlson blasted Biden’s move to host BTS, which made him the latest target of the BTS Army’s well-documented wrath against those who they feel disrespect the group. Carlson’s Twitter mentions have been inundated over the past few days with angry—and often profane—messages from BTS fans.
Tangent
K-pop superfans and TikTokers were largely blamed for sabotaging Trump’s first rally after he took a pause from big events early in the Covid-19 pandemic. The groups reportedly scooped up reservations for his Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally but did not show up—leaving thousands of seats empty—as a form of political protest against Trump’s criticism of Black Lives Matter protests.
What To Watch For
BTS’ upcoming anthology album, Proof, will be released June 10.
Further Reading
Tucker Carlson gets a lesson in trolling after he criticizes BTS’ White House visit (Los Angeles Times)
Here’s Why BTS Is Meeting With Biden At The White House (Forbes)
