Despite national security concerns about TikTok – and its ties to China – the popular short-form video app is playing an important role on the campaign trail for both former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris. The reason, experts say, is because the platform remains a crucial tool for candidates to reach young voters.
Trump joined TikTok in June, where he currently has 9.5 million followers on the platform, more than the 7.47 million followers on his own social media service, Truth Social.
Capitalizing on a sudden surge in popularity on the platform, Harris created a TikTok account on July 25. Harris has amassed more than 4.1 million followers.
On both of their respective TikTok profiles, the candidates have adopted a unique TikTok style of campaigning, making use of popular background music, editing methods, and collaborations with popular celebrities.
Young voters
“A huge part of the reason why Joe Biden left the race is because voters thought he was out of touch, he was too old,” said Caitlin Chin-Rothmann, a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies who researches the impact of technology on geopolitics. “And so, I think both Trump and Harris are trying to position themselves as very relevant, especially when it comes to that younger demographic that's harder to reach in general.”
In one recent 8-second video, Harris is shown shaking hands with members of the USA Men’s Olympic basketball team to the sound of a screaming eagle and the buzz of an electric guitar. Twenty-nine-year-old rapper Megan Thee Stallion calls Harris “the future president of the United States” in another video on the candidate’s account.
Trump has made videos with famous YouTuber brothers-turned-boxers Jake and Logan Paul, simulating pre-fight confrontations before breaking to hug each of the influencers. The video he filmed with Logan Paul has more than 157 million views.
“I’m gonna save TikTok,” Trump says to the camera while holding a framed portrait of himself. In another video with famous UFC commentator Dana White, Trump describes joining TikTok as his honor.
Beijing backed
TikTok was adapted for overseas use by a Chinese social media platform owned by Beijing-based company ByteDance. Over one-third of American adults, and 62% of adults under 30, reportedly use TikTok, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center.
While he was president, Trump issued an executive order attempting to ban TikTok and WeChat, describing the Chinese-originated apps as a threat to American national security given that data collection on the platforms “threatens to allow the Chinese Communist Party access to Americans’ personal and proprietary information.”
However, in an interview with CNBC in March, Trump said that while he still believes TikTok to be a national security threat, he understands that, if it were banned, a lot of young kids would “go crazy without it.”
The former president also argued that a TikTok ban would ultimately benefit Facebook, which he described as “an enemy of the people.” After the January 6th Capitol riots, Meta suspended Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts for two years.
Citing similar concerns to Trump’s, President Biden approved a bill in April that requires parent company ByteDance to sell the app to remain in the U.S. market. TikTok said it has not and will not share U.S. user data with the Chinese government and has been releasing a series of slick advertisements over the past year as the debate over its ownership has intensified, highlighting the benefit that TikTok provides to American citizens.
Upper hand
Arthur Herman, senior fellow and director of the Quantum Alliance Initiative at Hudson Institute, told VOA that although Trump’s and Harris’ decisions to campaign on TikTok are rational given the popularity of the app, American politicking occurring on a Chinese platform gives the Chinese government an upper hand.
He said that TikTok, which is under the control of the Chinese government, will use its algorithm to influence the election results and “push one [candidate] who is probably going to be softer on China.”
TikTok denies allegations that it is trying to carry out covert influence operations and has sued the federal government over the law that is forcing it to cut ties with its parent company to keep operating in the United States.
In May, just a few weeks after the Brookings Institution released a study that said Russian state-media were boosting their use of the platform, the company said it was putting new regulations in place. Those regulations aimed to limit the reach of state media accounts. The company also pledged to release regular updates on what the platform is doing to fight back against covert influence.
What’s next?
Biden’s withdrawal from the race has left questions regarding the future of TikTok in the United States. Experts argue that even though TikTok’s fate is ultimately left up to the courts, a future president could try to revoke the ban or change the U.S. position toward Chinese companies.
“No matter who wins the election in November, whether that's Trump or Harris, they don't have to take responsibility for the TikTok ban. Now they can say ‘that was Biden’s policy, not mine,’” Chin-Rothmann said.
Herman is optimistic that the next president will continue to take actions against TikTok and ByteDance, and expressed hope that the United States will develop an “American version of TikTok.”
“The most important next step is that we need an American TikTok. Let's figure out a way in which to develop that and to turn America into high-tech leadership,” Herman said. He added that is where the real future lies.
Katherine Michaelson contributed to this report.
