On Monday, former President Donald Trump joined controversial streamer Adin Ross for an hour-long interview on his stream via Kick. According to The Verge, the stream reached a peak of 580,000 viewers.

Ross’s large fan base derived from his streaming days on Twitch. He gained fame for playing video games with Gen Z celebrities and influencers such as Bronny James. His channel amassed over 7 million followers before he was kicked off the platform for using racial slurs and promoting the use of racist and antisemitic slurs in his streaming chats. He has continued his shock-based content on Kick, hosting streams with the likes of alleged rapist influencer Andrew Tate and white supremacist Nick Fuentes.

Trump’s appearance on Ross’ stream was an attempt to reach the 23-year-old’s majority Gen Z audience.

The antics began when Trump joined Ross with 50 Cent’s “Many Men (Wish Death)” as his walk-out music. The soundtrack choice was a reference to Trump’s assassination attempt on July 13, where he was struck in the ear.

Ross began the stream by donning a suit and Make America Great Again gear, stating it was “the most important stream I’ve ever done. We’re going to get some good ratings.” Ross continued, “You broke the website in five minutes. The chat wasn’t working.”

During the questionable conversation, Trump mentioned his feelings on several UFC fighters and discussed his association with other controversial individuals such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Dana White, Joe Rogan and Kanye “Ye” West.

He took jabs at Vice President Kamala Harris, suggesting her presidential campaign was “convenient.”

“They have much better people. All the people were better than her,” he said.

He even mentioned the hostile panel at the National Association of Black Journalists convention.

“I did it ’cause I thought it was a good thing to do. They had a journalist, I didn’t know who she was; she was nasty,” he said.

At one point in the conversation, Ross brought up his friend, rapper Young Thug, who he felt was being treated “unfairly” by District Attorney Fani Willis. When Ross inquired about what could be done about the rapper’s treatment, Trump replied, “He’s gotta be treated fairly.”

The stream also included ridiculous moments, such as Ross gifting Trump a Rolex watch and making him dance with other streamers after presenting him with a Tesla Cybertruck featuring a full MAGA vinyl wrap.

While pandering to Gen Z is a tactical strategy any candidate should include in their campaign, Trump’s interaction with Ross could be more harmful to young voters than most realize, especially young Black voters.

The interview failed to address tuition assistance, employment policies, diversity, equity and inclusion efforts or other issues associated with advancing Black Gen Z voters.

Instead, it was a cynical attempt to address frivolous, buzzworthy topics without positive substantive effects on the community.

Reducing the concerns and issues of young Black voters to only being a factor when discussing entertainment and pop culture is dismissive and trivializing.

Utilizing the platforms of such problematic figures as Ross perpetuates Trump’s administration’s acceptance of racism and equally offensive language and behaviors within digital spaces that have such a heavy influence on Gen Z audiences.

This superficial form of political engagement and vague rhetoric resonates with Trump’s campaign.

His appearance on Ross’ livestream proved to be more of a distraction than a discussion, leading one to think he assumes young voters care more about rappers and viral moments than their rights and quality of life.

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