To TikTok or not? GOP candidate joins the app even as he calls it 'digital fentanyl'
TikTok, the hugely popular video-sharing app that some in both parties allege is a potential spy mechanism for China.
But entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy recently became the first 2024 candidate to join the platform, which says it has over 150 million U.S. users. That's even as he's accused Beijing of pushing TikTok as "digital fentanyl" to Americans and wants the app banned entirely.
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Offering CollegeCourseWebsiteIIM LucknowIIML Executive Programme in Data ScienceVisitIndian School of BusinessISB Professional Certificate in Product ManagementVisitIndian School of BusinessISB Professional Certificate in Digital MarketingVisitNorthwestern UniversityKellogg Post Graduate Certificate in Digital MarketingVisit «We're in this to reach young people, to energize young people, and to do that, we can't just hide,» Ramaswamy said in his first post earlier this month. «You can't play in the game, and then not play in the game, so we're here.»
His competitors face the same conundrum. With U.S.-China tensions already running high, the Republicans running for president have all called for new economic and political measures to punish Beijing. Several major GOP candidates have said they want to ban TikTok. But they also want to reach the younger audiences that don't watch television ads but consume videos on TikTok or similar apps.
Many campaigns produce short video clips that can be shared between apps, a workaround to not being on TikTok directly. Or they work with conservative influencers on the app who argue Republicans need to engage on it.
About three in 10 U.S. adults (29%) have a TikTok account, according to an Ipsos study conducted in July, with 20% saying they use it at least
