The Democrats of TikTok

As the 2024 Presidential Election approaches, political parties have been trying to get support from their bases. The Democratic Party, in particular, has been getting really slick. They have chosen a new method to get votes for the current U.S. President, Joe Biden – TikTok! 

The Democratic Party posted its first video on TikTok on March 4, 2022. This video was filled with promises for a better 2022, yet it was filled with many hate comments calling it “cringy” or “trash.”

Perhaps Joe Biden’s ego was hurt because he kept on being called “sleepy Joe,” because, after a while, the Democratic Party decided to switch up its game. Its content went from being serious and professional to being immature and petty to appeal to young people. The runners of the account have done a good job of using trendy memes to diss the Republican Party’s ethics. Viewers on TikTok have left mixed comments, varying from laughing emojis or “haha Biden”  to “Trump 2024!”

The most viewed video on the Democrats’ TikTok page, which accumulated 5.4 million views, was a video featuring President Joe Biden drinking with a mug that had a picture of his face shooting lasers while the whistle song was playing. This video was meant to be lighthearted and funny but it was met with comments from users who felt disappointed because instead of working towards a ceasefire for the Israel-Palestine War, the President was making silly TikTok videos. One of the top comments said, “We got a Joe Biden Josh Hutcherson meme before a ceasefire,” and it was liked by 25,100 users.

In contrast, Republicans believe that TikTok is China’s tool to steal user information, and they’ve tried to ban TikTok on various occasions. In addition, on January 31, 2024, the five CEOs of the biggest social media apps, including TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, were brought to testify before Congress due to claims that their platforms are havens for child exploitation. 

Overall, the Democrats’ use of TikTok was meant to gain positive attention especially as the 2024 Presidential Election is coming up, but their efforts haven’t been very successful.