The Biden re-election campaign remains committed to utilizing TikTok as a platform to connect with voters, despite the President’s enactment of a law on Wednesday that may lead to the app’s ban in the coming months. Recognizing the importance of meeting voters where they are, a spokesperson for the Biden campaign emphasized that TikTok is one of many channels through which the campaign is ensuring its content reaches the electorate. With the stakes of the election running high, the campaign intends to employ every available tool to engage with young voters on platforms where they are actively present. To address concerns raised by critics regarding TikTok’s ties to the Chinese Communist Party, the campaign claims to be implementing enhanced security measures.
President Biden’s signature on the bill on Wednesday initiates a nine-month window for ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company with ties to the Chinese government, to divest its ownership of the platform or face a ban in the United States. An ongoing sale process at the nine-month mark would grant ByteDance an additional three months to complete the divestiture. However, legal challenges, which TikTok has already threatened to pursue in response to the new law, could potentially extend this timeline.
Just hours after Biden signed the bill, his 2024 campaign posted a new video on its TikTok page, featuring the President criticizing former President Donald Trump’s unfounded belief that windmills cause cancer. The “bidenhq” account boasts over 300,000 followers and has amassed over 100 videos since its launch in February. The campaign’s TikTok content primarily showcases video clips of the President and his associates, critiques of Trump, and explanations of political developments.
The Biden campaign’s decision to continue using TikTok aligns with its strategy of reaching out to younger voters, who constitute the primary demographic of TikTok users. Both Biden and Trump have been vying for the attention of this demographic. Despite not having a TikTok account, Trump has recently admonished his younger supporters, reminding them that it was Biden who signed the bill that could potentially lead to the ban of the popular social platform. Notably, Trump attempted to ban TikTok during his administration but has since reversed his stance, arguing that such a move would only strengthen the market dominance of companies like Facebook and enable that platform to censor conservative voices.
