Dems are trolling Trump and his MAGA base – proving the power of the digital clapback

This blog was originally published on Social Currant’s website. Find it here.

Democrats have long attempted to brand themselves as the party with the moral high ground. Especially during a time where GOP leaders are the antithesis of politically correct, Democrats have leaned into creating the juxtaposition of ‘us’ versus ‘them.’

While Trump is insulting a disabled veteran, Dems are kneeling with kente cloth to stand in solidarity with Black communities. But Americans seem to be disillusioned by the overly-politically correct party. Trump ran on a ‘for the people’ campaign. And while his administration has fallen short in keeping the promise (unless ‘for the people’ refers to the one percent), his brand is certainly not concerned with playing by the establishment rulebook. 

As professionals at the intersection of social media and social good, we at Social Currant take note of how Trump's antics, while crude and offensive, have an underlying strategy that seems to work. That is: in 2016 during the Republican primaries, social media feeds and traditional media feeds alike were fixated on what Trump was saying more than any of the other candidates. His antics were almost sure to go viral. And as the PR saying goes, “all press is good press.” 

So this brings us back to Democrats, who have an advantage because they are promoting values that most Americans agree on, but a disadvantage because they are competing with a literal reality TV star for air-time. 

How can Leftist win back some of that air-time? By doing away with the “Nice Guy” politics and playing scrappy. By ditching the politically correct, overly PR trained response and instead, clapping back at the GOP’s rhetoric and theatrics. Let’s have a look at a few of our favorite examples of this digital clapback:

Rep. Jasmine Crockett 

We’d be remiss to start this conversation with anyone other than thee clap back queen herself, Dallas area Representative Jasmine Crockett. She famously referred to former GA Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green as a ‘bleach blonde bad built butch body,’ a moment that was clearly unscripted and felt so authentic, it's unsurprisingly played out on social media for weeks. Crockett has since pointed out how much Trump mentions her, saying she lives “rent-free” in his head. And she’s not wrong: Trump and other Republicans are clearly threatened by Crockett, perhaps because they know better than anyone how powerful an outspoken and unapologetic leader can be. 

Gov. Gavin Newsom

Trump and his base seem to also be obsessed with CA Governor Gavin Newsom. Newsom seems to unapologetically parody Trump by similarly tweeting in all caps and AI edited memes. Trump calls the California governor “Newscum,” but Newsom has just as swiftly nicknamed Trump “Criminal in Chief.”

But let’s not give Newsom all the credit here –– his social media team deserves a raise. They have brilliantly delivered short-form edits like this one, which has garnered over 8 million views.

Zohran Mamdani

Perhaps one of the most embarrassing moments for former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s campaign for NYC Mayor had to have been when a reply to Cuomo’s tweet out performed the original post. And that reply was a donation link to Mamdani’s campaign. Mamdani didn’t miss the opportunity to post a screenshot showing his donation link with 164K links, compared to just 5K links on Cuomo’s post. In the caption, Mamdani trolled, “I’m so excited to welcome to the team our newest fundraiser, Westchester’s own @andrewcuomo.“

The now-Mayor’s social media team also brilliantly publicized Trump endorsing Cuomo’s campaign with this post, a poster art style graphic that pictures Cuomo and Trump side-by-side.

The Democratic National Committee 

The DNC has been known to be institutionally risk-averse. But in recent years, we’ve seen the party deliver some of the most savage, yet hilarious clapbacks via their social media accounts, a truly encouraging sign. Whether they are trolling the president on his rigged golfing or pointing out how much of a flop Melania Trump’s movie is, they’ve decided that GOP leaders aren’t the only ones willing to throw jabs. 

The DNC’s social media accounts are making sure none of us forget about the Epstein Files, frequently posting about Trump’s involvement with the scandal and even launching an X bot that posts daily, “Has Trump released the Epstein files? No.”

These clapbacks have been pretty well received. For example, this recap of Trump’s first year of his second term –– an edit that appears to have been made on Capcut –– has over 12 million views. And this meme, which adds a twist to the old “Girl Math” trend, has 15K likes. The meme compares Republicans' excessive military spending while claiming we can’t afford ACA subsidies. This is genius because it clearly counters Republicans’ claims while adding a bit of humor. But the truth is, most of the DNC’s short form videos are not lined with numerous statistics and informative talking points. Instead, they aim to draw in the sand a clear distinction between Democrats and Republicans. And they are also making it clear that Democrats are willing to play just as dirty, if that means protecting democracy and fighting for Americans. In the words of our fave, Nancy Pelosi, “you have to be willing to throw a punch, for the children” [see ‘Pelosi mentality’].  

Conclusion

As social media professionals working in the impact space, we often cite the 2018 study that found misinformation spreads six times faster than factual content. That reality forces a hard truth: telling the truth alone is no longer enough. In a space dominated by algorithms and outrage, how a message is delivered can matter just as much as the message itself.

Digital clapbacks, when done well, aren’t reckless or unserious — they’re strategic. They meet people, especially young people, where they already are. And because many young people are less trained at spotting misinformation, it’s important to reach them with the truth. 

At Social Currant, we recognize that defending democracy, economic justice, and human rights sometimes requires abandoning the comfort of “nice guy” politics and occasionally adapting the strategic use of a firey clapback. 

So, if calling out our “Criminal in Chief” helps more people see what’s at stake — we’ll gladly help amplify those moments. Because in a media landscape rigged toward misinformation, playing scrappy isn’t optional. It’s necessary.