Kamala Harris debuts official TikTok account as presidential campaign picks up

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris delivers the keynote speech at the American Federation of Teachers’ 88th national convention in Houston, Texas, U.S. July 25, 2024.

Kaylee Greenlee Beal | Reuters

Vice President Kamala Harris debuted an official TikTok account on Thursday, underscoring the social broadcasting app’s importance to the 2024 presidential campaign as a way to reach voters.

In her first short TikTok video, Harris described why she joined the popular app, saying that she’s “heard that recently I’ve been on the For You Page, so I thought I’d get on here myself.”

The vice president was referring to the widespread attention her recently announced presidential campaign garnered on social media platforms like TikTok. Numerous TikTok users, for instance, created a swarm of humorous videos — including fusing clips from Charli XCX’s ‘Brat’ summer trend — featuring Harris as a way to celebrate her rise as the Democratic Party’s leading presidential nominee in the aftermath of President Joe Biden’s recent announcement that he would drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

Harris’s quick adoption of TikTok contrasts with President Joe Biden, who personally appeared with Harris on the campaign’s @BidenHQ (now @KamalaHQ) page. U.S. lawmakers have expressed concern over TikTok’s ownership by a Chinese tech company.

TikTok’s immense popularity with the youth of America and the broader public has made the app an important campaigning tool by politicians, even though the company does not allow political advertising.

Meanwhile, former President Donald Trump debuted an official TikTok account in June. Earlier this year, Trump told CNBC that while he shares national security and privacy concerns about TikTok, he believed that banning the app would only “make Facebook bigger, and I consider Facebook to be an enemy of the people.”

Watch: “There is no rebranding Kamala Harris,” former Trump aide.