President Biden used the Super Bowl to join TikTok and lean into MAGA-world conspiracy theories about Taylor Swift and possible support for his campaign, in a social media push that caters to the youth vote.
The Biden campaign’s first post on TikTok, which has a Chinese parent company, is captioned “lol hey guys” and features a question-and-answer session while he watched the big game.
He refused to take sides in the match, pledging allegiance to the Philadelphia Eagles, and laughed when his staffer asked if he’d take “Trump or Biden?” He chose himself.
Mr. Biden’s administration has used TikTok indirectly to spread messages on policy topics, but the campaign’s decision to join directly will be viewed as an attempt to reach young voters.
Mr. Biden carried the youth vote by 25 percentage points over Mr. Trump in 2020, but a spate of polls released last month warned that in 2024, Mr. Trump — the presumptive GOP presidential nominee — could flip the script.
A USA Today/Suffolk University poll found among voters aged 35 and younger Mr. Trump now leads Mr. Biden, 37% to 33%. Results from a New York Times/Siena College poll revealed that Mr. Trump leads Mr. Biden 49% to 43% among voters aged 18-29.
And a Quinnipiac poll found Mr. Biden had a 5-percentage-point lead over Mr. Trump with Pennsylvania voters under 35. In 2020, Mr. Biden won that same group by 16 points over Mr. Trump.
TikTok is wildly popular with young Americans and in some ways has supplanted traditional media as a way to communicate with Gen Z voters.
Yet its ties to China have spurred controversy, with some policymakers calling for an outright ban on the app due to national security and privacy concerns.
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, a GOP contender for president, has called for a ban, while the Biden administration has tread more warily. The president signed a bill that bans its use on federal government devices, and he has pressured Chinese owners to relinquish their shares or face a sweeping U.S. ban.
For now, Mr. Biden is leaning into the platform to boost his reelection prospects, particularly as young people fume over his approach to Israel’s military operation in Gaza.
Young voters represent a growing Democratic Party faction that says Israel is responsible for the conflict and has colonized “indigenous” Palestinians. They are angry that Mr. Biden has sent weapons to Israel and what they say is insufficient humanitarian aid to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. They also are frustrated that the president hasn’t called for a cease-fire.
Mr. Biden’s major efforts to forgive student loan debt, a potential boon for young voters, have run into political and legal headwinds.
Desperate to turn the tide, the Biden campaign half-jokingly proposed sending Mr. Biden to stop on Ms. Swift’s Eras Tour, given the pop star’s popularity and influence.
The possible nexus between Ms. Swift and Mr. Biden’s campaign turned into an online theory on the political right that suggested the Kansas City Chiefs were set up to win the Super Bowl so Ms. Swift, who is dating Chiefs’ tight end Travis Kelce, could endorse Mr. Biden.
The Chiefs won, prompting Mr. Biden to tweet a victorious picture of himself beaming with laser eyes.
“Just like we drew it up,” his official account says.
• Jeff Mordock contributed to this report.