The Biden campaign has joined the platform the Biden administration has debating banning from the U.S. for years: TikTok.
On Sunday, during the leadup to the Super Bowl, the Biden camp launched an account called @bidenhq, with a first video captioned “lol hey guys” featuring Biden answering die-hard policy questions like “Do you prefer Jason or Travis Kelce?” It also included a reference to Dark Brandon, with a conservative conspiracy-mocking meme shot of Biden with blazing red eyes that was later posted to his Twitter account.
The “lol hey guys” video has amassed 5.5 million views as of press time, and the Biden campaign has posted two more videos–one that actually addresses a serious policy question, and one about Biden telling a joke onstage at NACo’s Legislative Conference.
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@bidenhqlol hey guys♬ Fox nfl theme – Notrandompostsguy
This move is, of course, an attempt to reach young voters. But per The New York Times, it’s a surprising one, because Biden’s campaign and administration have historically worked with influencers to get pro-Biden content on TikTok rather than creating content themselves, and that seemed to be the plan for this year, too.
We’re not sure what changed–perhaps the campaign is feeling new pressure to get chummier with Gen Z, whose approval of Biden has only sunk lower and lower since he was put in office, tanked by things like his lackluster student loan forgiveness and, most recently, the way his administration has responded to Israel’s war on Palestine.
“In a media ecosystem that is more fragmented and personalized than ever, it’s even more important to get our message across every channel and every platform possible,” Biden campaign advisers told Axios.
To the NYT, Biden’s camp added that it’s taking “advanced safety precautions around our devices and incorporating a sophisticated security protocol to ensure security.”
