Biden names new White House digital chief with plans to continue outreach to creators, influencers

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden on Friday named Christian Tom to serve as director of the White House Office of Digital Strategy, aiming to continue building relationships with creators and influencers to promote his agenda ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Tom replaces Rob Flaherty, who departed the White House this week for an expected senior role on Biden’s reelection campaign. Tom is a veteran of Biden’s 2020 campaign effort, and served as the deputy director of the digital office after Biden entered the White House before taking on a role last year with the McCourt Institute, a nonprofit focused on advancing digital governance.

“Christian is an innovator,” Biden said in a statement welcoming him back to the White House. “He helped develop a first-of-its-kind digital strategy in 2020 — one that has continued to be a key part of this administration’s approach to reach Americans in new, creative, and authentic ways. As a Day 1 member of my team, Christian returns to the White House with a wealth of experience in the ways technology, digital media, and social platforms can be used to strengthen our democracy and bring people together.”

“The way we consume information is undergoing a fundamental shift,” Biden added. “Under Christian’s leadership, my Office of Digital Strategy will remain at the forefront of this change, navigating how people exchange information on a daily basis.”

Tom, who starts July 6, will be the first person of color to lead the White House digital office and the first person of East Asian background to serve as one of Biden’s top White House aides. He previously held roles at YouTube, Twitter and NowThis.

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