Current:Home > StocksBiden's campaign gives in and joins TikTok. Blame the youngs-LoTradeCoin
Biden's campaign gives in and joins TikTok. Blame the youngs
View Date:2025-01-11 15:19:50
President Biden's reelection campaign is going somewhere that his White House has feared to tread.
During the Super Bowl on Sunday evening, "BidenHQ" posted its first-ever TikTok, with the caption: "lol hey guys."
It's a sign of just how badly Democrats want to court young Americans ahead of the election. The social media platform is disproportionately popular with that demographic.
The White House has stayed away from TikTok because of privacy and national security concerns related to the app's owner, Chinese company ByteDance. The app is banned on government devices, and the powerful Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has been reviewing its ownership structure.
Until now, the campaign had followed that lead. But not anymore.
Why the campaign changed its mind about going on TikTok
The video features Biden answering questions about the Super Bowl and makes fun of the viral conservative conspiracy theory alleging that the NFL rigged the season so Taylor Swift could come out on the field and endorse Biden.
"I'd get in trouble if I told you," Biden said when asked if there was a plot to rig the game. His response follows a quick cut to the 'Dark Brandon' meme.
The timing of the launch was surprising to Democratic digital strategist Annie Wu Henry, who helped lead social media strategy for Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., in 2022 and has since done work for Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY.
"We had been paying attention to the Super Bowl, Beyonce, Taylor Swift, everything else that was going on that night," Henry said.
But Biden joining the platform wasn't a shock, she said. "I assumed that this inevitably would happen at some time during this election cycle. Because I do think that people are understanding the abilities of being in these spaces," Henry said. "I had hoped that the Biden campaign would not have ignored what this could potentially be."
Nearly a third of Americans under 30 say they regularly get their news from TikTok, according to the Pew Research Center.
It's an age group that helped Biden win the 2020 election, but his approval ratings with the group have sagged, and he faces loud pushback from factions of the Democratic progressive base over his handling of the Israel-Hamas war.
There is also a potential enthusiasm problem. Among voters under 30, fewer say they "definitely" plan to vote in the presidential election compared to four years earlier, according to the latest Harvard Youth poll, published last winter.
The campaign explained to reporters that joining TikTok was important to get its message on every platform possible because of the fragmented and personalized way that voters consume the news and politics. It also posts on Truth Social, a platform owned by former President Donald Trump.
The campaign had initially said that beefing up its connections to influencers and content creators on TikTok was far more beneficial than having its own account on the platform.
Now, his campaign says it will do both things: continue to expand its influencer network while also having its own presence on TikTok. The campaign said it was taking "advanced safety precautions" to ensure security while using the platform. The White House declined to comment on the move.
Republicans are critical, saying it's a security risk
Some Republican lawmakers were critical of the move. Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark, called TikTok "a spy app for the Chinese Communist Party... used to push propaganda on American kids and steal data."
Cotton said Biden's campaign was compensating for bad polls and bad headlines from a report last week from special counsel Robert Hur, that described Biden as an "elderly man with a poor memory."
However, some young organizers saw the move as a positive step in the Biden campaign's work to engage with their generation.
"A few years ago, young voters were all but ignored," said Jack Lobel, the National Press Secretary for the youth-run group Voters of Tomorrow. "Now, we have political power like never before, and the incumbent president's campaign is on TikTok."
veryGood! (3)
Related
- Judith Jamison, acclaimed Alvin Ailey American dancer and director, dead at 81
- Some Yankee Stadium bleachers fans chant `U-S-A!’ during `O Canada’ before game against Blue Jays
- Paris Olympics highlights: Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky win more gold for Team USA
- When does Katie Ledecky swim next? Details on her quest for gold in 800 freestyle final
- Francesca Farago Details Health Complications That Led to Emergency C-Section of Twins
- Olympic track recap: Sha'Carri Richardson gets silver in women's 100M in shocking race
- Olympic medal count: Tallying up gold, silver, bronze for each country in Paris
- Kentucky football, swimming programs committed NCAA rules violations
- What is ‘Doge’? Explaining the meme and cryptocurrency after Elon Musk's appointment to D.O.G.E.
- Favre challenges a judge’s order that blocked his lead attorney in Mississippi welfare lawsuit
Ranking
- Benny Blanco Reveals Selena Gomez's Rented Out Botanical Garden for Lavish Date Night
- Mariah Carey is taking her Christmas music on tour again! See star's 2024 dates
- Aerosmith retires from touring permanently due to Steven Tyler injury: Read full statement
- 2024 Olympics: Simone Biles Edges Out Rebeca Andrade for Gold in Women's Vault
- Pitchfork Music Festival to find new home after ending 19-year run in Chicago
- Class is in Session at Nordstrom Rack's 2024 Back-to-College Sale: Score Huge Savings Up to 85% Off
- USA swims to Olympic gold in mixed medley relay, holding off China in world record
- Hormonal acne doesn't mean you have a hormonal imbalance. Here's what it does mean.
Recommendation
-
Philadelphia mass transit users face fare hikes of more than 20% and possible service cuts
-
2024 Olympics: British Racer Kye Whyte Taken to Hospital After Crash During BMX Semifinals
-
A year after Maui wildfire, chronic housing shortage and pricey vacation rentals complicate recovery
-
Rejuvenated Steelers QB Russell Wilson still faces challenges on path to redemption
-
Florida man’s US charges upgraded to killing his estranged wife in Spain
-
Some Yankee Stadium bleachers fans chant `U-S-A!’ during `O Canada’ before game against Blue Jays
-
As recruiting rebounds, the Army will expand basic training to rebuild the force for modern warfare
-
Tropical Glaciers in the Andes Are the Smallest They’ve Been in 11,700 Years