A worldly lawmaker has become one of the most-followed U.S. senators on social media, thanks to his unique style and off-color humor.
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After staring into his cell phone’s selfie camera, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy flipped his view to reveal a lush oasis: his backyard.
“This is one of those stupid videos my staff told me I should make,” the 74-year-old junior senator said in a video posted June 17. After admitting, “I don’t see why on God’s green earth anyone should care,” Kennedy showed viewers a manicured lawn moistened with sprinklers and two patio umbrellas on a spotless deck.
He warned viewers around the world not to set foot on its turf or risk stepping on “dog poo”.
Nearly 750,000 users appear to be interested in Kennedy’s whereabouts. The backyard video generated over 1 million TikTok views.
He is also the most followed Republican senator on TikTok, with 1.3 million followers on Instagram, where his videos go viral as well. The little-known Southern congressman, who shares a name with one of America’s most famous presidents, has become an Internet favorite for his candor and off-color humor (he recently introduced his followers to elliptical trainer Margaret).
Social media stardom could be a boon for a Louisiana lawmaker considering replacing President Donald Trump as the party’s top candidate in 2028. Of course, Trump owns the social media platform Truth Social, and before that he relied on X (formerly Twitter) to get his thoughts and opinions across.
President Trump and former Vice President Kamala Harris both used social media posts to appeal to young voters during the 2024 election. In the end, it was young people who contributed to President Trump’s victory.
“Political leaders who are thinking long-term are actually very smart to appeal to younger voters because they know that once you start voting for one party at age 18, 19, 20, you’re likely to continue voting for one party for the rest of your life,” said Debra Reiter, a political science professor at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
Mr. Kennedy is secretly a leading candidate for the White House. Kennedy told NewsNation’s Katie Pavlich that he is focused on the midterm elections and re-election to the Senate, but would not rule out a run. “I’ve had some people talk to me about it. I’m not trying to do that, but remember that song by the Judds, ‘Why Not Me?'” Kennedy said.
His book, “How to Test Idiots Negative: And Why Washington Never Will,” was released in October and became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. When asked on comedian Theo Fung’s podcast “This Past Weekend” if he had any ties to the famous Democratic Kennedy family, he replied, “If so, I’m the poor side of the family.”
Sen. Kennedy’s office did not do so. rHe responded to USA TODAY’s request for comment about his popularity on social media.
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Kennedy has amassed 4.8 million likes on TikTok, dominating her peers on the platform.
Senate Republicans often shy away from TikTok, a popular platform for Gen Z users that Kennedy and others once considered banning because of its ties to China. The only other Republicans from his contemporaries with verified accounts are Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy, whose account has fewer than 300 followers and has not posted any videos, and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is on track to reach 24,000 followers.
Cory Booker (D-N.J.) is the most followed U.S. senator on TikTok in the nation. He has 1.7 million followers.
Kennedy, a former Democrat, served five terms as Louisiana’s treasurer. He was first elected as Treasury Secretary in 1999, but switched parties to become a Republican in August 2007, the year before President Barack Obama was elected to the White House.
Kennedy had made two unsuccessful bids for the Senate, but won his third election in 2016, the same year Trump was elected to the Oval Office.
He won reelection in 2022 with a nearly 45 percentage point advantage over his primary Democratic challenger. In recent years, Mr. Kennedy rose to online fame after a fan account recorded his cable news appearances on TikTok.
One video posted last November, featuring a montage of his wits, received 7 million views on TikTok. A similar post in July of this year attracted 600,000 posts.
“I’m not saying you’re the stupidest person in the world, but you better hope the stupidest person in the world doesn’t die,” Kennedy once said on Fox News. “I don’t see why we should give money to countries that hate us. They should be able to hate us for free,” Kennedy said in another video.
He dramatically joked to FOX’s Martha McCallum, “God, please give me patience, because if you give me strength, I’m going to need bail money.”
Chicken Salad and Charlie the Dog give a relatable look at the life of a senator.
One expert said online content featuring Kennedy resonates because he is authentic.
“Thirty years ago, something like John Kennedy, the backyard-dweller, approachable and humorous, would have only appeared in Parade magazine on the weekends,” said April Eichmeyer, a professor of emerging media at the University of St. Thomas.
“You don’t have to wait for it anymore, you don’t have to filter it anymore,” she said.
Scott Dunn, a political communication professor at Radford University, told USA TODAY that social media allows politicians like Kennedy to develop quasi-social relationships with their supporters, creating an intimacy that is effectively one-sided.
The construction of parasocial relationships is evident in Kennedy’s content. In a recent video that went viral, he wore a backwards ball cap and introduced his 9-year-old dog Charlie, who is part Maltese and part terrier, to his followers.
He noted that Charlie, previously owned by a homeless person, is muscular, sturdy and compact.
“Charlie also doubles up as my wireless doorbell, especially when the UPS guy or the Amazon guy comes by,” Kennedy said. “He often forgets how to do things, but sometimes his memory comes back and he can walk three or four feet on his hind legs to beg because a homeless person taught him how to do it,” the senator added.
Charlie’s introduction received 235,000 likes on TikTok. Eichmeyer, the emerging media professor, said Kennedy’s humorous videos were his introduction to politics.
“It’s a place where you expect people to be interested in what you have to say and look elsewhere,” she said.
In one of Kennedy’s most popular videos (with 3 million views and 478,000 likes), the congressman gave supporters the inside scoop on the popular meal. He shared his wife Becky’s “not-so-world famous” chicken salad recipe. A jar of salad and two slices of white bread were spread out on the marble-ceilinged kitchen island.
“This chicken salad is better than sex,” Kennedy said before declaring, “This chicken salad is better than sex.” “Not really, but you get the point.”
