President Joe Biden will welcome royalty to the White House on Wednesday—specifically, reigning pop princess Olivia Rodrigo. The 18-year-old singer/songwriter continues to top charts with her debut album Sour, and now will count Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci among her latest artistic collaborators. Rodrigo will meet with the President and infectious disease expert to record videos encouraging young people to get the coronavirus vaccine, according to the White House.
Ever the Gen-Z icon, the High School Musical: the Musical : the Series star dropped the news of her arrival in the comments section of the official POTUS Instagram account.
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“I know this young person would’ve gotten vaccinated, but we’ve got to get other young people protected as well. Who’s willing to help?,” notes the caption below a photo of young Joe Biden, utilizing the power of a thirst trap for the good of the country. In response, Rodrigo commented: “i’m in! see you tomorrow at the white house!”
Teen pop stars tend to endorse more glamorous products than an mRNA vaccine, but Rodrigo is leveraging her burgeoning celebrity—and massive followings on TikTok and Instagram—at a pivotal point in the ongoing vaccination campaign. Currently, only 55 percent of people age 18 to 29 have been vaccinated—the lowest percentage across adult age demographics.
The singer’s trip to the White House has already spawned plenty of DC-themed riffs on her lyrics, including the ultra-relatable missive “I can’t even parallel park.” Take a look:
https://twitter.com/ChelseaCirruzzo/status/1414963709496238091
me 🤝 olivia rodrigo
being in DC and not being able
to parallel park https://t.co/TqilxAje9x— Haley Quinn (@haley_e_quinn) July 13, 2021
Red lights. Stop signs. There's a built-in Olivia Rodrigo infrastructure pitch here folks. Send her to negotiations.
— Tim Hogan (@timjhogan) July 13, 2021
https://twitter.com/Jenna_VR/status/1414976552597692421
when Olivia Rodrigo said “god it’s brutal out here,” she was referring to misinformation leading to vaccine hesitancy and not being able to achieve necessary vaccination rates. in this essay I will https://t.co/Ai89jx5Wi6
— Asha Samuel (@ashaesamuel) July 13, 2021
If Olivia Rodrigo and Fauci don't do a bit with "Vaccines are good 4 u" tomorrow, I'll be disappointed
— jake rosen (@JakeMRosen) July 13, 2021
You have ten more minutes for Olivia Rodrigo/POTUS jokes before they sour.
— Garrett Haake (@GarrettHaake) July 13, 2021
Daniella Byck joined Washingtonian in 2022. She was previously with Outside Magazine and lives in Northeast DC.
