When power speaks in memes: contemporary political communication in the age of artificial intelligence in democracy

The growing incorporation of informal and affective registers into institutional communication has generated controversies regarding the limits of acceptable presidential conduct in the Americas. In particular, memes and digital cultural formats have frequently been interpreted as a trivialization of authority or a deviation from expected political behavior. This article suggests that contemporary presidential communication in digital environments may be shaped by broader processes of symbolic power negotiated within platform-mediated environments. Within this framework, the study conceptualizes affective transfer as an interpretive analytical mechanism through which emotional recognition generated outside formal institutions may become symbolically associated with presidential authority and institutional recognition. Methodologically, the study adopts a qualitative comparative case-study design based on presidential communication practices on TikTok during 2025–2026. It examines the Peruvian case associated with former President José Jerí, alongside the communicative practices of President Donald Trump and the institutional content disseminated by the White House. The comparative discussion also incorporates the case of Argentine President Javier Milei as a transitional modality of affective transfer. The findings suggest that affective transfer may operate through distinct configurations, including closed, open, and transitional modalities identified across the cases examined, depending on the relationship between memetic production, leadership and institutional appropriation.