Biden Selects New White House Digital Chief to Sustain Engagement with Creators and Influencers

President Joe Biden has appointed Christian Tom as the new director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy. This strategic move aims to strengthen relationships with content creators and influencers, as part of Biden’s efforts to promote his agenda leading up to the 2024 presidential election.

Tom is taking over from Rob Flaherty, who recently left the White House to assume a senior role in Biden’s reelection campaign. With a background in Biden’s 2020 campaign, Tom previously served as the deputy director of the digital office and later worked at the McCourt Institute, a nonprofit dedicated to advancing digital governance.

In a statement welcoming Tom back to the White House, President Biden praised his innovative approach: “Christian is an innovator who played a crucial role in developing our groundbreaking digital strategy in 2020. This strategy continues to be an integral part of our administration’s efforts to engage Americans in new, creative, and authentic ways. With his wealth of experience in technology, digital media, and social platforms, Christian will help strengthen our democracy and foster unity.”

Biden acknowledged the evolving nature of information consumption and emphasized that Tom’s leadership in the Office of Digital Strategy will navigate this change and explore how people exchange information on a daily basis.

As the first person of color to lead the White House digital office and the first individual of East Asian descent to serve as one of Biden’s top aides, Tom’s appointment brings diversity to the team. He has previously held positions at prominent platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and NowThis.

The White House also announced two other appointments: Patrick Stevenson as a senior adviser on digital strategy to President Biden and Tericka Lambert as deputy director of the digital office.