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President Joe Biden’s campaign announced their decision to join TikTok on Sunday night, despite the president’s national security concerns about the Chinese social media app. “Lol hey guys,” Biden’s account read, announcing the 81-year-old president’s debut on the video app typically favored by young voters for news and information.
In the video, the president shared his thoughts on the Super Bowl after turning down an opportunity for an interview with CBS that would air ahead of the big game. When asked to choose between the Chiefs and the 49ers in the Super Bowl, Biden said the teams both had good quarterbacks. “If I didn’t say I was for the Eagles, I would be sleeping alone, my wife is a Philly girl,” Biden said.
When asked to choose between NFL brothers Travis Kelce or Jason Kelce, Biden replied, “Mama Kelce, I understand she makes great chocolate chip cookies.” Biden’s decision to introduce a campaign account on the app illustrates his team’s desperation to reach young voters despite national security concerns.
The federal government has warned that TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has the ability to share data with the Chinese government. Concerns about the app prompted Biden to ban it on devices used by the federal government in December 2022.
Last May, the Biden administration warned that TikTok could face a ban if its Chinese parent company ByteDance did not sell its stake in the version of the app used in the United States, but opposed banning the app. Biden remains unsure about what to do with TikTok.
When asked by a reporter last February whether he thought the app should be banned in the United States, Biden responded: “Well, that – I’m not sure about the answer. I know I don’t have it on my phone.’
The White House has aggressively pursued engagement with TikTok stars, even enlisting as many as 100 popular influencers to get their message in front of young voters. Biden conducted an interview with TikTok user Daniel Mac at the Detroit Auto Show and appeared in TikTok videos with the Jonas Brothers.
In June 2022, the White House welcomed TikTok star ‘Benny Drama’ to film a video pretending to be a White House intern for White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki, as part of their promotion of the coronavirus vaccines.
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