You may not know who “MrBeast” is, but you almost assuredly know of him.
The ubiquitous YouTube star boasts an eye-watering 300 million subscribers on YouTube, where he’s perhaps best known for oddball videos — like where he spnt seven days stranded on an island or hosted a “real” version of the infamous “Squid Game” show (with a real cash award).
A lot of his content is also philanthropic in nature:
We built 100 homes and gave them away for free! New video is my favorite, give it a watch ❤️ pic.twitter.com/mtllkoVATI
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) June 29, 2024
(In the irony of ironies, “MrBeast” actually has a cabal of critics who say that his version of philanthropy is actually exploitative since he produces content with it.)
But even if you’ve never spent a minute on the internet, there’s a non-zero chance that you’ve seen “MrBeast” — government name Jimmy Donaldson — in other walks of life.
For example, his “Feastables” brand of chocolate has premium shelf space at major retailers like Walmart and Target. He also has a virtual restaurant (think of an eatery that only does delivery) called “MrBeast Burger.”
Given his otherworldly popularity, at least in the content creation space, perhaps it should come as little surprise that the wandering eyes of liberals (and Donaldson certainly profiles as more left-leaning than not) and Democrats have shifted slightly to “MrBeast” following President Joe Biden’s objectively disastrous performance at the first presidential debate.
Do you think there should be a maximum age limit for president?
One problem with this YouTube star replacing Biden? Donaldson, who turned 26 in May, is too young to run for president (you must be at least 35 to run for president) — something the social media star directly addressed on social media.
If we lower the age to run for president I’ll jump in the race
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) July 6, 2024
“If we lower the age to run for president I’ll jump in the race,” Donaldson posted to X on Saturday.
That statement alone sparked some pushback from other notable content creators, particularly those in the conservative space:
No thanks.
— Catturd ™ (@catturd2) July 6, 2024
But the real derisive commentary emerged when Donaldson actually engaged in something resembling a centrist policy discussion in a follow-up post — and it came from the more vocally liberal crowd.
If I were president I wouldn’t care about party lines, I’d just always truly make the American people my #1 priority. For problems I’m ignorant in I’d have experts from the left and right advise me on them and try to find the middle ground that’s best for America. Wouldn’t be…
— MrBeast (@MrBeast) July 10, 2024
“If I were president I wouldn’t care about party lines, I’d just always truly make the American people my #1 priority,” Donaldson posted. “For problems I’m ignorant in I’d have experts from the left and right advise me on them and try to find the middle ground that’s best for America.
“[I] Wouldn’t be buyable, don’t care about doing things just because my party says I should, and I would focus on uniting the country instead of dividing it.
“Anyways, we can pick this up in 15 years when I’m old enough to run haha.”
(Donaldson could theoretically run in 12 years, as he would be 35 by the 2036 election cycle.)
The response to Donaldson’s centrist ideas were largely derided by the left.
Okay so what’s the middle ground between universal healthcare and not universal healthcare
— evan loves worf (@esjesjesj) July 10, 2024
“Okay so what’s the middle ground between universal healthcare and not universal healthcare,” one X user posted.
why would you pick the middle ground between good and bad? why not just pick good? centrism is dead
— Religious Sailor Moon (@tradcatboy) July 10, 2024
“[W]hy would you pick the middle ground between good and bad? why not just pick good? centrism is dead,” another X user posted.
Far-left video game and pop culture outlet Kotaku similarly blasted Donaldson’s stance.
“The reaction to this centrist, child-like pitch for president has led to a lot of people roasting the content creator online,” Kotaku posted, before adding that “centrists are worthless.”
(Perhaps some rare common ground between the left and right.)
Conservatives were already out on Donaldson, largely due to his transgender content creation partner.
Seeing the left also similarly attack “MrBeast” for refusing to embrace hyper-partisan politics, probably means Americans won’t be getting a President Donaldson or President MrBeast in the future.
