How “#Resse” took the internet by storm; social media in political campaigning
Lily Nie and Marina Yen
Since 2021, netizens have been going crazy over the relationship between two Dutch politicians, going as far to create edits, write romantic fanfictions, and dress as them for halloween. Such online tractions have skyrocketed MPs Rob Jetten, leader of the centre to centre-left D66, now predicted to be the next Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and Jesse Klaver, leader of the centre-left to left-wing GroenLinksPvdA, to be widespread renown. Instead of being known on social media by their names, they are now recognized as the viral sensation, “#Resse.”
So where did this all start? According to Eve, or better known under the online pseudonym Ressepeasants, the most followed Resse fan page with over 39K followers on Instagram and 108.5K followers on TikTok, the trend was started by @papajetten on TikTok in March 2021. The trend gained so much popularity that it encouraged individuals to create their own page, such as Eve herself to start her account in June of the same year.
Videos feature thirst-trap-esque edits of the interactions between Mr. Klaver and Mr. Jetten, insinuating a romantic relationship between the two. These edits quickly rose to popularity, with the top video garnering over 1.1M likes and 4.9M views on TikTok. Both have acknowledged these edits, with Rob joking that “it’s a bit painful that our secret came out like this,” and Jesse also joking that “[their] political love is an open secret.” Nonetheless, they eventually did clarify, thanking their fans “for all the creativity, but we promise you it’s only really fiction.”
In an exclusive interview we conducted with Eve, she believes this specific ship appealed to people “mainly [coming] from the fact that it represents queer visibility,” especially given Jetten is gay himself, and “it’s refreshing to see two political figures, usually associated with seriousness and formality, being part of something that feels more human, emotional, and relatable.” Whilst being aware of the ship instead of rejecting it, both politicians have embraced it with humor. Such openness breaks the barrier between politicians and the public, showing that they may also laugh about it.
This new political strategy of using social media popularity during campaigning is on the rise as politicians fight for the top spot in the attention economy. Examples of this are shown by the “brat summer” campaign during Kamala Harris’ presidential bid, the MAGA crowd’s overpowering ability to control the narrative on right leaning sites such as X and Youtube, and Zohran Mamdani’s strong, charismatic online presence. Most of which, much like this instance with Resse, were based heavily on the contributions of the supporters itself.
In the light of D66’s success in the 2025 Dutch general elections, Mamdani’s success in the NYC mayoral election, suggest this new strategy works. Eve believes “her account helped in terms of visibility, especially among younger audiences who maybe weren’t really into politics before.” Specifically, while she didn’t “directly change people’s votes,” she “played a role in keeping Rob and Jesse part of the online conversation through a positive light.” “It made their names circulate outside traditional political spaces… it probably helped their image feel more modern, approachable, and human.” Furthermore, she mentioned that “it’s not about replacing traditional politics, it’s about translating political ideas into spaces where people actually are, in a language they understand and enjoy.” This is especially critical given the global rise of populist politics, which aims to appeal to ordinary people who feel their concerns disregarded by the elites.
However, when trends are not organic or appear naturally, it seems to be ineffective among the general public. From Jesse Klaver’s food commentaries, everything from Buldak ramen to Dubai chocolate oliebollen, to Gavin Newsom’s divisive parodies on X of Trump’s Truth Social posts. Whilst these may be entertaining to a certain audience, they do not extend beyond the fandom’s borders and fail to reach a larger audience. “That being said, political teams may learn from these moments. They can create spaces that invite active participation rather than trying to control it. The most successful campaigns are the ones that listen to what’s already happening online and engage with it in a natural, respectful way, not the ones that try to force a trend to happen.”
Works Cited
Grenier, Eve [Ressepeasants]. Instagram Account. Instagram, www.instagram.com/ressepeasants/.
Grenier, Eve. Instant messenger interview with the author. 7 Nov. 2025.
Klaver, Jesse [jesse.klaver]. TikTok Account. TikTok, www.tiktok.com/@jesse.klaver?lang=en-GB.
