Biden joins TikTok despite security concerns
Despite TikTok being banned on most US government devices due to security concerns, President Joe Biden’s campaign has decided to join the platform.
During the Super Bowl on Sunday, his campaign unveiled its account under the handle “@bidenhq.” In a launch video titled “lol hey guys,” aides playfully questioned Mr. Biden about his preferences for the big game.
In 2022, President Biden signed legislation prohibiting the majority of federal government devices from accessing TikTok. This move has been replicated by several states as well.
Concerns have been raised from both sides of the political spectrum about the app’s ownership by Chinese company ByteDance, fearing potential access to user data by the Beijing government.
Despite these security worries, TikTok remains immensely popular among young Americans, a key demographic that contributed to Mr. Biden’s electoral success.
The President’s TikTok account will be managed not by him but by his campaign team, according to aides cited in US media reports.
In the launch video, when asked about his Super Bowl allegiance between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers, Mr. Biden humorously sided with the Philadelphia Eagles, joking that supporting any other team would leave him “sleeping alone” since “my wife’s a Philly girl.”
He was also asked about a Taylor Swift Super Bowl conspiracy theory that saw some claim the singer’s relationship with Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce was part of a plot to rig the NFL’s championship game and help get Mr Biden re-elected this November.
“I’d get in trouble if I told you” about the conspiracy, Mr Biden joked.
Mr. Biden faced a stumbling block in his re-election campaign last week after a justice department inquiry into his handling of classified documents called him a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory”.
Special counsel Robert Hur did not recommend charges for Mr. Biden.
