David Pierce

The best way I can describe the vibe on the stream, 20 minutes before showtime, is “knockoff jazz music.” It sounds like the soundtrack for the waiting lobby in a video game, if the game you’re about to play is about to get sued by Nintendo. Does any of that make sense? All I know is it sounds AI-generated, and Shazam can’t even figure out what it is.

There is, alas, no grand conspiracy here. It’s just that every four years, on X, Instagram, and Facebook, accounts like @POTUS, @VP, and @WhiteHouse are transferred to the incoming administration. Here’s how it went down in 2021, and with the first Trump term.