Buttigieg becomes latest politician to join TikTok ahead of election – Washington Examiner
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg is the latest in a line of politicians to join TikTok, which he did on a Wednesday, as a strategy to engage younger voters ahead of upcoming elections. Following the footsteps of figures like former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, and others, Buttigieg has quickly garnered 180,000 followers on the platform. In his inaugural TikTok video, he humorously introduced himself by referencing his past appearances on Fox News, signaling a fun and informal approach to connecting with the younger demographic. This shift in strategies comes amidst regulatory scrutiny of TikTok, particularly regarding its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and ongoing discussions about potential bans in the United States. Notably, Harris has also capitalized on TikTok’s popularity by launching her own campaign account, which boasts 3.7 million followers.
Buttigieg becomes latest politician to join TikTok ahead of election
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg joined TikTok on Wednesday, making him the latest politician to join the viral platform.
The move by Buttigieg comes after former President Donald Trump, Vice President Kamala Harris, Sen. J.D. Vance (R-OH), and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) have all created accounts, likely in a bid to win over younger voters. As of Wednesday afternoon, the transportation secretary, who also promoted his migration to TikTok on X, has 180,000 followers on the video platform.
“I’m Pete Buttigieg. You might recognize me from Fox News,” Buttigieg jokes in his first video. “Now I’m on TikTok. Obviously.”
Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed a bill that required TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or risk getting banned in the United States. ByteDance CEO Shou Zi Chew has responded by saying, “We aren’t going anywhere,” with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit set to hear oral arguments against this law on Sept. 16.
Shortly after Biden bowed out of his 2024 reelection bid, the Harris campaign unveiled its TikTok account titled “KamalaHQ,” which has 3.7 million followers and promotes her campaign for president. Harris herself has her own personal TikTok account that she created on July 25, where she has 4.6 million followers.
Trump, who was initially opposed to TikTok during his presidency, joined TikTok on June 1, where he has amassed 10.5 million followers. Like Harris, Trump has been using his TikTok to promote his 2024 presidential run.
Besides joining TikTok, the former president’s bid for younger voters has also consisted of making various podcast appearances, with his most recent one with comedian Theo Von. Trump has also appeared on WWE star and social media influencer Logan Paul’s podcast and has also done a one-on-one live discussion with X owner Elon Musk.
Both Vance and Walz joined TikTok earlier this month, though Harris’s 2024 running mate is far outpacing Vance in follower count. The Minnesota governor has 1.1 million followers since joining the platform on Aug. 15, while Vance has received 416,000 followers since joining on Aug. 1.
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