TikTokTrends week: 21
December 14th - December 20th
Hi!
Welcome to week 21 of TikTokTrends, great to see you again!
This week I will be focusing on #JusticeRoberts, #PatriotParty, #SnowStorm, and #PaulMcCartney.
Let’s begin!
#JusticeRoberts
Various conspiracy theories and baseless claims about Chief Justice John Roberts have been gaining more attention over the past week. Republican operatives are using their platforms to spread misinformation and sway people's opinions about the government and the supreme court. Since the supreme court has dismissed the Texas case, republicans on many platforms have said that the court betrayed them, linking it to the deep state, which Trump is seen as a savior by many QAnon supporters.
The video above was watched over 65 thousand times and had 12 thousand likes. It was posted by a Trump supporter that goes by the name BuckEyeBikerGuy on TikTok. The poster did not take the video; it is part of a livestream that can be found on YouTube by Joshua Philipp of The Epoch Times, a far-right news organization.
The video talks about some of the allegations Lin Wood, an attorney who is a Trump and QAnon supporter, has made over the past week on Twitter. Wood accused Roberts of saying "the mother f*ker would never be re-elected," on the phone while talking to Justice Stephen Breyer about Trump. There was no evidence provided, saying that the evidence was given to several third parties.
Wood continues his Twitter storm by attacking Justice Roberts; he accuses him of going to Epstein's island, with unverified flight logs and with a picture of Justice Roberts swimming with Bill Clinton. The image of Justice Roberts swimming with Clinton is false, and the flight logs just have the name John Roberts, which is a common name, and no other evidence proves that the John Roberts in the logs is the Supreme Court Chief Justice. Both these allegations have no ground and do not have any backing. However, Trump supporters are now lashing out at the supreme court, saying the 'swamp is getting deeper' and that the truth will soon be told.
Wood and many other Trump supporters are thinking that martial law is the answer. Some on TikTok can be seen promoting the Martial Law idea, while others want the president to stay away from it. The Justice Roberts conspiracy does not end there. QAnon supporters are tying everything they see to each other to form the swamp. Justice Roberts being mentioned by George Soros, the Pentagon stopping Biden's briefings, and of course, the 'Kraken' election fraud case is all being shown as one huge game that Donald Trump has come to dismantle.
Users in the comments of the TikTok video are not even thinking twice about the accusations. They are quick to dismiss the Supreme Court entirely, based on an allegation by a single lawyer. To me, this is the scary part. I have long been working on ways to engage with Trump supporters; what fact-checking is missing is reaching those who believe the misinformation. However, the QAnon movement is making me scared that we might never get there.
#PatriotParty
Trump supporters are looking into forming their own party – The Patriot Party. Although the media has not been talking about this, on TikTok, Trump supporters' videos can be seen showcasing their new party logo, a lion, and giving their opinions on it.
The video above was posted by Julie Walthers, a Trump supporter, and was watched about 400 thousand times. With over three thousand comments, most in support of the party, asking for merchandise, and where they can buy the t-shirt. Some comments can be seen pointing out the Socialist Party from the 1960s that was called The Patriot Party; however, the overwhelming majority seems to be for the new party and excited about it.
This video is not alone in this trend; many videos show the Lion logo and explain where they think the lion comes from. Trump supporters are showing this image of Trump's Lion, well, Baron Trump's toy lion, to be exact, as a nod to the lion imagery.
The videos of The Patriot Party are accompanied by the song by Saint Mesa, called Lion, released back in 2017. The song's lyrics are:
Bring the lion out
Bring the, bring the lion out.
This is a metaphor, just like the 'Kraken' that Sidney Powell mentioned, meaning that the lion will soon be out of the cage and win the election. Videos on TikTok are shared with the song and hashtags like; #LionnotSheep, #PatriotParty, and #PatriotsforTrump.
Many on Twitter mocked the new party formation, calling out the Patriot Party from the 1960s and making fun of how the word 'Patriot' is not suited for people who hate 90% of the country.
It is not the first time we see Lions in the Trump 2020 campaign; back in 2019, which feels like at least five years ago, Trump tweeted a video, using their new campaign logo, a lion. The logo has since not been used, as it was understood that the same logo was used by a white nationalist group, VDare, in 2016.
#SnowStorm
This week a Nor'easter passed through New York. Many New Yorkers were thrilled to see the snow; however, Anti-Cuomo content creators were on the job!
Andrew Cuomo recently banned indoor dining in New York for at least two weeks. This came just before the snowstorm hit New York City, and videos like the one above began to spread on TikTok. The video above was watched over 450 thousand times. It makes fun of the governors' outdoor dining mandate by dining outside in the snow while thanking Cuomo. Others were seen gathering their staff outside for a meal, as NYC can be seen covered in snow.
The snow videos were not all about Cuomo, of course; some videos can be seen showcasing NYC’s snowy glory, while others posted how NYC really looks like when it snows.
Cuomo has been getting a lot of hate from right-wing TikTok content creators for his work on Covid-19 and everything else he has done. Republican TikTok’ers like Heshy Tischler that I have mentioned in my previous TikTokTrends, is one of the more outspoken content creators that uses his platform to bash Cuomo and Mayor DeBlasio.
#PaulMcCartney
Not much I can say about this, it is going to be a short one. Paul McCartney is now on TikTok. That is all:
McCartney is out promoting his new album, McCartney III, and using TikTok to do so is a very 2020 move. McCartney has posted four videos and has collectively gained over 4 million views in two days.
TikTok has changed the music industry, as did YouTube many years ago. TikTok has become the go-to platform for music promotion. NPR and Rolling Stones have great pieces about how the platform is shaping the music industry; if you are curious about it, definitely check them out!
That is all for this week! I would love to hear your comments about my newsletter. Let me know what you think by hitting reply to this email or sending me a DM through Twitter!
Thank you for reading; I hope to see you next week, on Sunday!