U.S. President Joe Biden arrives at John F. Kennedy Worldwide Airport, in New York Metropolis, U.S., February 7, 2024.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
President Joe Biden’s reelection marketing campaign launched an official TikTok account Sunday night. The account is noteworthy as a result of TikTok is at present banned on most U.S. government-issued units.
The TikTok account, with the deal with “@bidenhq,” debuted Sunday throughout Lunar New Yr celebrations in China and Tremendous Bowl 58 within the U.S.
In late 2022, Biden signed laws that barred most federal government-owned units from utilizing TikTok. The availability was a part of an enormous omnibus spending invoice and, on the time, it represented a serious win for China hawks in Congress.
A number of states and New York Metropolis additionally adopted swimsuit, banning TikTok on government-owned units final yr, pointing to a variety of safety issues.
TikTok’s mother or father firm is China-based ByteDance. The corporate’s CEO Shou Zi Chew is Singaporean and a graduate of Harvard Enterprise Faculty.
One in every of TikTok’s greatest exterior traders is Susquehanna Worldwide Group. Billionaire co-founder of the agency, Jeffrey Yass, has donated tens of millions to lawmakers who wish to block an outright ban of the app within the states.
A number of U.S. lawmakers have accused TikTok, and different social media platforms, of spreading content material on-line that has been dangerous to kids’s psychological well being and failing to guard youngsters on-line.
Biden marketing campaign advisors informed NBC Information the TikTok account is a part of an effort to satisfy voters the place they’re.
The app stays important to youthful folks, together with of these of voting age within the U.S. Based on Pew Analysis information launched in late 2023, a few third of 18-29 yr olds within the U.S. stated they usually get information on TikTok, the next share than ever earlier than.
Tighter regulation of social media firms together with TikTok, Meta, Snap, Discord and X (previously Twitter) represented a uncommon subject of bipartisan settlement throughout a Senate listening to on baby security final month.
The Biden White Home has carried on a love-hate relationship with TikTok since Biden took workplace. On one hand, the administration overtly courted TikTok stars and content material producers to assist unfold public service messages and interact younger folks with civic occasions.
However as China-skeptical lawmakers ratcheted up their marketing campaign towards the corporate lately, the Biden White Home tacitly agreed with them, going as far as to reportedly strain ByteDance to promote TikTok.
— CNBC’s Jonathan Vanian contributed reporting.
