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Monday October 07, 2024

Joe Biden makes TikTok debut while several US govt officials still can't use app

Joe Biden's TikTok debut raises questions about president's ban on Chinese app over security concerns

By Web Desk
February 12, 2024
A close-up shot of Joe Biden. — AFP/File
A close-up shot of Joe Biden. — AFP/File

President Joe Biden's election campaign has joined TikTok despite the platform being blocked on the majority of US government devices due to security concerns.

During Sunday's Super Bowl, his campaign launched an account under the username "@bidenhq".

Aides questioned Biden about his preferences for the big game in a debut video with the message, "lol hey guys".

In 2022, the president passed legislation prohibiting TikTok use on the majority of federal government gadgets.

The law has also been approved by several states. Concerns that the Chinese government may be able to access user data have prompted lawmakers on both sides of the aisle to push for the US to ban the ByteDance app, according to BBC.

Nonetheless, the website continues to enjoy popularity among American youth, a group that contributed to Biden's election triumph in the previous election.

According to officials speaking to US media, the president's campaign team will handle his TikTok account instead of him.

In response to the question in the launch video about which team he supported—the Philadelphia Eagles or the Kansas City Chiefs—Biden stated that he would be sleeping alone if he didn't support the Eagles since "my wife's a Philly girl."

He was also questioned over a conspiracy theory surrounding Taylor Swift's Super Bowl performance, which suggested that the singer's connection to Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs was part of a scheme to rig the NFL championship game to support Biden's reelection this November.

"I'd get in trouble if I told you" about the conspiracy, Biden joked.