US President Joe Biden belatedly joined TikTok on Sunday, marking his debut on the social media platform with a 26-second video.
The move comes after intense criticism of the video-sharing platform in recent years from the US government, particularly the Republican Party, but also the Biden administration.
TikTok is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance and has been accused by numerous US politicians of being a propaganda tool for the Chinese government, a charge the company vehemently denies.
In a video posted to his campaign account @bidenhq on Sunday, the 81-year-old Democratic president comfortably discusses topics ranging from politics to the NFL Championship Game.
When asked whether he prefers the Super Bowl or the famous halftime show, which this year was headlined by singer Usher, he said he prefers watching the actual game.
Pop star Taylor Swift, who is dating Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, asks if there is a secret plot to rig the game so she can use her fame to support Biden. When faced with a conspiracy theory, he jokingly refused to align with the unsubstantiated right-wing views of the president.
“If you tell me, you’ll be in trouble,” he says.
Citing security concerns, many states and the federal government have banned the app on official government devices.
“The idea of abanappearstohavebeendrivenmorefrom a political pointofviewthanbyany serious attemptatlegislation,”civilrightslawyer David Green recently wroteintheUK’sGuardiannewspaper. told thepaper.
As elections approach, this platform provides a channel for young voters.
