In her effort to reach young voters, Vice President Kamala Harris joined TikTok on Thursday, dismissing national security concerns posed by the app.
Harris explained in her first video that since she’s frequently on the “For You” page, she figured she’d get on the app herself.
The vice president was referring to the widespread attention her recently announced presidential campaign garnered on social media platforms like TikTok. Numerous TikTok users, for instance, created a swarm of humorous videos — including fusing clips from Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ summer trend — featuring Harris as a way to celebrate her rise as the Democratic Party’s leading presidential nominee in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s recent announcement that he would drop out of the 2024 presidential race.
Harris’s quick adoption of TikTok contrasts with President Joe Biden, who personally appeared with Harris on the campaign’s @BidenHQ (now @KamalaHQ) page. U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern over TikTok’s ownership by a Chinese tech company.
TikTok’s immense popularity with the youth of America and the broader public has made the app an important campaigning tool by politicians, even though the company does not allow political advertising. (CNBC)
BREAKING: Harris joined TikTok and posted her first video today. pic.twitter.com/5TdhRxzZH6
— I Meme Therefore I Am 🇺🇸 (@ImMeme0) July 25, 2024
Earlier this week, CNN commentator Van Jones said the app has helped reframe Harris.
“There’s something happening that’s hard to quantify, because what’s happening on TikTok right now, is extraordinary,” Jones said, reports The Hill. “All the things that were cringey about Kamala, her laugh, the coconut tree comment, being unburdened by what — all those weird things she’s said.
“She’s gone from cringe to cool in 24 hours as a whole generation has taken all that content and remixed it in all these incredible TikTok videos,” he added.
Former President Trump is also on TikTok. Though he has expressed privacy and national security concerns, he said earlier this year that he believes banning the app will only help Facebook, which he considers "to be an enemy of the people."
President Biden signed a bill into law in April that could see TikTok banned unless Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance sells its stake in the app.