The Biden campaign joins TikTok

The Biden campaign has joined the politically controversial social media app, TikTok.

Biden-Harris HQ, operated by the Biden campaign, made its first TikTok post Sunday night timed with the Super Bowl. It featured President Joe Biden answering football-themed questions. When asked if he was cheering for the Kansas City Chiefs or the San Francisco 49ers, Biden opted for the Philadelphia Eagles because otherwise “I’d be sleeping alone” because “my wife’s a Philly girl.”

The decision for the Biden campaign to join the social media platform comes amid heightened scrutiny of the company over its Chinese-based ownership. Congressional leaders in both parties have called for TikTok to be banned, citing security concerns. The White House, last year, gave federal agencies 30 days to wipe the app off all government devices. And a majority of states have banned TikTok on government devices.

But the site is also immensely popular, particularly with Americans under 30. The Pew Research Center found that 63 percent of teens said they used TikTok. It was the number one ranked iPhone application in 2022, according to Apple, though it fell to number five in 2023.

The move by the Biden campaign comes as the president has struggled to gain traction with young voters, a core part of the Democratic Party’s base.

Biden campaign advisers said they will be taking advanced security precautions around the app. ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, has said it is not owned or controlled by the Chinese government.

The Biden campaign did not join TikTok in 2020. Instead, they used influencers to disseminate their message on the platform.

In Sunday night’s post on TikTok, when asked if he preferred Travis Kelce or Jason Kelce — brothers who play professional football, one who dates Taylor Swift and the other is a former Philadelphia Eagles player — Biden instead chose “Mama Kelce.”

“I understand she makes great chocolate chip cookies,” Biden said.