One reporter with a popular Snapchat program told presidential candidate Joe Biden some disparaging nicknames used online to refer to him.
Peter Hamby, host of the show Good Luck America on Snapchat, asked the former vice president how he rebuts nicknames used online against him, telling Obama’s former right-hand man that internet users often call him “Dementia Joe” and “Creepy Joe.”
Hamby cited a study from the Shorenstein Center at Harvard University, which found the top anti-Biden memes online contain the nicknames widely used by President Trump and some of his allies, later noting reports that former President Barack Obama has been shown anti-Biden videos on TikTok by his daughters.
“Basically, there’s an entire discourse on the internet right now that’s painting you as creepy and old and out-of-touch and kinda lame. How do you fight back against that?” Hamby asked.
Biden attributed the surge of the nicknames to Trump’s use of Twitter but asserted it’s important for young people to get their information from reliable sources and that his energy level is comparable to Trump’s.
“I don’t have any problem comparing my energy level to Donald Trump, who I’m really resisting giving a nickname to,” Biden said, laughing.
Biden has attempted to engage with youth voters through the use of social media, through Instagram livestreams with soccer player Megan Rapinoe, and hosting podcasts with prominent Democrats like Hillary Clinton, Andrew Yang, and others.
“We’re trying to get better with it. I can hardly wait to get out of being on my back porch here,” Biden told Hamby.
[Opinion: Joe Biden has already accepted defeat in the 2020 election]
