Joe Biden is attempting to appeal to Generation Z and Millennial voters by "adopting a more aggressive message about his economic record" on social media platform TikTok, according to an expert in youth political engagement.
The president joined TikTok on February 11 with a video entitled "lol hey guys" and went on to answer a series of quick-fire questions about the day's upcoming Super Bowl. Biden's account, called 'Biden-Harris HQ,' currently has just over 205,000 followers on the platform.
Speaking to Newsweek DeNora Getachew, CEO of youth-focused activist hub DoSomething.org, said that Biden is using TikTok to reach "some of the first generations to have been almost fully brought up in an environment dominated by smartphones, tablets and social media."
She added: "It's even more important to engage Gen Z and Millennials on TikTok as Pew recently found that the share of U.S. adults who say they regularly get news from TikTok has more than quadrupled, from 3 percent in 2020 to 14 percent in 2023."
However, according to data provided to Newsweek by Kyra, an agency connecting brands and creators, Biden's TikTok growth has been fairly pedestrian compared to some of the top accounts on the platform.
In the 11 days to February 23, Biden gained around 180,000 TikTok followers. However, comparatively, in only the seven days leading up to February 23, Reesa Teesa, a user documenting the breakup of her marriage, acquired 2.3 million followers. The same period also saw Kanye West gain 714,000 followers, while the account of Team ECCO, which describes itself as a "nonprofit dedicated to educating children to care about the ocean," picked up 383,000 followers.
Why TikTok?
According to Getachew, Biden is using TikTok as part of a bid to rebuild the coalition of voters that gave him victory over Donald Trump in November 2020, which included young voters. Trump is the firm favorite to secure the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
She said: "A Biden-Trump rematch appears imminent, and with the rising cost of living, affordable health care, and an uneasiness about whether President Joe Biden is paying attention to their concerns, of course, Biden wants to appease the same voting bloc that propelled him into the White House in 2020."
Getachew noted a TikTok trend where Generation Z users post about their economic anxieties and argued Biden joining the platform is an attempt to engage with these voters.
She explained: "An onslaught of clips have cropped up all over TikTok in which members of Gen Z air their frustrations about economic uncertainty and the inability to afford everyday costs. With inflation and recession fears, Biden is adopting a more aggressive message about his economic record heading into the election.
"If the candidates want to speak to some of the biggest issues that are top of mind for young voters this year, including economic uncertainty, they would do well to go on the record to showcase their achievements in those areas. That's exactly what Biden is doing."
Biden's need to engage with young voters was underlined by a New York Times/Siena College poll showing nearly 75 percent of voters aged between 18 and 29 disapprove of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. This conflict, sparked by a surprise Hamas attack on Israel that killed around 1,200 people, has resulted in nearly 30,000 Palestinian deaths in Gaza, according to the territory's health ministry.
On Tuesday, Biden won the Michigan Democratic primary with 78.6 percent of the vote, but 16.2 percent marked their ballots as "uncommitted." A campaign made up predominantly of Muslim and younger voters had been urging voters to do this in protest at Biden's Gaza policy.
How Should Biden Use TikTok?
According to Getachew, Biden should use TikTok to explain how he has addressed, or plans to address, key issues which "motivates" younger voters to cast a ballot. She listed these as "the economy, including student debt and college affordability, reproductive access, affordable health care, including mental health access, addressing the climate crisis, and ending gun violence."
The youth engagement expert added: "What is most important is that Biden states the facts and illustrates for young people how his policies have addressed the issues they want to see taken care of. Especially in the wake of a significant increase in youth activism on social media."
Newsweek has reached out to Joe Biden's 2024 presidential campaign for comment by email.
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James Bickerton is a Newsweek U.S. News reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is covering U.S. politics and world ... Read more
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