Over the past two months, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) daily coronavirus briefings have offered a mix of news, numbers, dad jokes, and inspirational quotes, all accompanied by a classic Powerpoint presentation.
And while Cuomo has previously used the platform to criticize young people for ignoring his guidelines, a new TikTok trend shows the youths are tuning in.
In April, user chasee_mee uploaded a video showing iconic New York City locations, set to a soundtrack of comforting beats and audio from Cuomo’s March 24 press conference.
“Bring down that anxiety, bring down that fear, bring down that paranoia,” the governor coaches. “And we’re going to get through it because we are New York.”
What started as a seemingly touching tribute to the city was quickly reimagined by others on the platform, who cast Cuomo as an inspirational fitness instructor-slash-meditation teacher.
The hashtag “Cuomo” has more than 26 million views on TikTok, though some reference the governor’s CNN anchor brother.
With many of the memes across social media falling into the “Cuomosexuals” category, others are posting pleas to consider the governor’s policies before turning him into the internet’s new boyfriend.
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