Republicans have expressed some frustration with the rise of new media as online wars become more common in modern political communications.

After Republicans capitalized on using social media to win the 2024 elections, the party has run into some tiffs since November that political insiders don’t see stopping anytime soon.

“I don’t think it’s necessarily good or bad, but it’s the reality that we have to live in now,” one GOP communications staffer told the Washington Examiner. “It’s just the way the landscape has changed comms, so it’s kind of like whether you like it or not, it’s very much a ‘get on board or get left behind’ scenario.”

Between President Donald Trump and billionaire Elon Musk’s public breakup earlier this month and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and conservative media star Tucker Carlson’s heated interview earlier this week, Republicans have been getting millions of views across all platforms.

“I think it’s actually good to happen on both sides of the aisle. I think politics are meant to happen outside, and social media counts as outside, so the public square,” Sammy Kanter, an influencer and CEO of Girl and the Gov, told the Washington Examiner. “So one of the things too, that voters, constituents, etc, have really been wanting is to feel like they’re a part of what’s going on, a part of the discussions, and actually see what’s happening, like things that aren’t behind closed doors.”

“I think it’s smart, it’s showing that they have diversity of thought within their party and when the Democrats do the same thing, I think it’s positive,” she added. 

Earlier this week, Carlson posted a clip promoting his interview with Cruz in which he grilled the Texas senator on facts about Iran that led to a heated back-and-forth between the two. This clip has reached 39 million views as of Friday, leading to memes on X poking fun at the interaction.

Carlson started by asking about the number of people living in Iran. Cruz didn’t know the answer, and Carlson then informed him it was 92 million.

“You don’t know the population of the country you seek to topple?” Carlson asked. “How could you not know that?”

Cruz responded, saying, “I don’t sit around memorizing population tables.”

“Well, it’s kind of relevant because you’re calling for the overthrow of the government,” Carlson said, later suggesting that Cruz doesn’t “know anything about the country.”

“I didn’t say I don’t know anything about the country,” Cruz quipped back.

The GOP communications staffer told the Washington Examiner this online instance was similar to a dustup that could have happened on TV via CNN, but reaches a different audience.

“The Tucker Carlson tiff with Ted Cruz, I mean, it’s no different than if he were to have gone on Jake Tapper or Kaitlan Collins” the staffer said. “This is nothing new, it’s just on a medium, so I think it’s a good thing.” 

It’s not just these big spats that reach tens of millions of views. With the rise of influencers in the political sphere, they have changed the way that Republican and Democratic messaging is done.

Trump has always had a love-hate relationship with the media. On one hand, he loves the attention; on the other hand, he continually pushes his distaste for the mainstream through his “fake news” rhetoric.

Trump, in many ways, led the new media revolution, from launching his own social media platform after being banned from Facebook and Twitter, to embracing podcasters throughout his 2024 campaign, and shaking up the White House briefing room by creating a “new media” seat in the briefing room.

But by empowering loud online voices, they can at times work against Trump, as he saw in recent weeks with social media personalities with large followings pressuring the president not to get involved in Israel’s war against Iran.

But beyond the president, social media influencers are impacting legislation in Congress.

Rep. David Schweikert (R-AZ) recently spoke about his frustration with influencers being hired to get out a coordinated political message, but without disclosing that they are paid.

Schweikert told Wake Up Live W/ Christopher DeSimone that Medicare Advantage insurance companies were trying to stop Congress from taking up his reform legislation by hiring “23-year-old blonde MAGA fashion girls” to post a “series of X posts” promoting that the party “shouldn’t touch anything with the word Medicare on it.”

“For everyone actually watching or listening, much of what comes through saying don’t do this, do this,” Schweikert said. “It has no disclosure, but they’re paid political ads.” 

The Arizona Republican said he has been unable to get a single co-sponsor on his legislation because they are “terrified” of the online backlash.

The Federal Trade Commission has a “Disclosures 101” guide for influencers about when and how to disclose. Violating these disclosure rules can lead to fines and legal action.

“If you endorse a product through social media, your endorsement message should make it obvious when you have a relationship (‘material connection’) with the brand,” the FTC wrote. A “material connection” to the brand includes a personal, family, or employment relationship or a financial relationship – such as the brand paying you or giving you free or discounted products or services.

One political influencer told the Washington Examiner that influencers “rarely” disclose things like that and both sides use loopholes. 

Still, some influencers said airing grievances publicly is not a bad thing and is healthy for discourse.

“It is a good thing, because people have a diversity of thought, so they can kind of communicate different things,” Influencer and Texas Democratic political candidate Isaiah Martin told the Washington Examiner. “I think it’s a net positive personally.”

Martin talked to the Washington Examiner about how, as an influencer, he picks what to post and where to draw the line when it comes to his own party. 

“I always wanted to be helpful for the general cause, so if I disagreed with something, I would always say that, I would go on TikTok live, I would tweet about it, I would just say I personally believe in this, without attacking individual members within the caucus,” he said. 

Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has welcomed Republicans’ usage of new media by inviting conservative podcasters Ben Shapiro and Matt Walsh to Trump’s joint address, along with other members of the conservative influencer realm. 

At Trump’s White House, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has done separate briefings for podcasters and right-wing influencers, understanding their reach. And when the Trump administration decided to release more information on sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, 15 right-wing influencers were invited to the White House to receive binders, though some complained there was not much new.

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While the rise of new media has benefited Republicans in many ways, it does not mean that politicians do not get frustrated. Influencers and podcasters are not beholden to the journalistic ethics and standards touted by traditional print, TV, and radio reporters, and they enjoy First Amendment protections to say what they like.

Regardless, the GOP staffer told the Washington Examiner that lawmakers have learned to accept “the reality that we live in.”