Politically, last year was difficult for TikTok. More than two dozen US states banned it from federal devices, and as the political scapegoat, the U.S. Government piled enormous pressure on Bytedance to sever its ties with China following concerns about data security. There was also a congressional hearing where the idea of banning the app altogether was debated.
So, needless to say, I didn’t expect Joe Biden to pop up on my TikTok FYP this week.
But that’s just what he did with simple “lol hey,” as the verified @bidenhq TikTok account gears up for the 2024 elections. At the time of writing, the video, which was published on Feb. 12 and features Biden answering questions about the Super Bowl, has amassed 8.8 million views.
In the past two days alone, the Joe Biden TikTok account has posted nine videos with a cumulative like count of 853,300.
This also follows the Biden administration making fun of the ‘Dark Brandon’ meme on Twitter/X — an image co-opted by the alt-right as conspirators claim that Biden rigged the result of the Super Bowl.
The Biden administration working with creators is nothing new. Influencers are frequent guests at the White House, and Biden recruits them to explain politics to Gen Z. But as the New York Times notes, Biden making content directly is definitely a change in strategy.
“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,” team Biden told Axios.
But as Biden HQ fully embraces its shitposting era, is it a little… too much? Does trying to make us into Oomfies detract too much from serious issues?
I present these weird Joe Biden TikTok Valentine’s cards posted today without further comment. … Click at your own risk.
