Dem
51
GOP
49
TikTok started out as a place to post cute cat videos, but like many things on the Internet, it has evolved. It is becoming much more political. Even though Donald Trump is not on it, many of his fans are, and they are trying to turn it into a safe space for Trumpists. Since November, there have been 1.29 million pro-Trump posts and only 651,000 pro-Biden posts.
This situation may be partly because Biden recently signed a bill that would force TikTok to sell the American portion of the site to a U.S. company or have it banned. Many of the users don't like the idea of it going away, which may have inspired them to attack Biden, although that is a recent development. Still, the subject has been in the news for months.
C.J. Pearson, a social-media influencer who co-chairs the RNC's youth advisory council, has nearly 149,000 followers on TikTok. He recently posted: "If we allow the Democrats and the leftist organizations and leftist influencers to have a monopoly on the content that's produced on TikTok, we will lose the next generation of Americans." Yup. If you lose TikTok, you lose the country.
Trump could join the platform, but it is mainly populated by young users and they generally don't like him. His appearance could easily backfire and make him a target, so his team has to be careful. Other Republican politicians have also largely avoided the platform as well. (V)