Biden Faces Potential Blow to Reelection Campaign with Proposed TikTok Ban Amidst Concerns Over Ties to Chinese Government

The measure is the latest in a series of moves in Washington to respond to national security concerns about China, from connected vehicles to artificial intelligence to cranes at U.S. ports.

“This is a critical national security issue,” No. 2 House Republican Steve Scalise said on social media platform X.

TikTok denies sharing any user data with China and says the ban would deprive Americans of their constitutional right to free expression.

Biden’s reelection campaign joined TikTok in February, using the NFL’s Super Bowl to kick off its new account to reach young voters ahead of the presidential election in November.

The campaign’s account, @BidenHQ had 237,500 followers as of March 13, while @thedemocrats had over half a million.

The White House briefed over 70 influencers and content creators on TikTok and other social media platforms, with a combined audience of over 100 million followers, on topics like student debt and economic issues ahead of the president’s State of the Union address to amplify his message.

“We are not concerned about the impact” of a ban on Biden’s reelection chances, said a top White House official. “There are lots of twists and turns before anything ends up happening here,” because Trump is opposed to the bill, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has not committed to bringing it on the floor.

A second White House official said: “National security concerns outweigh how anyone is feeling.”

“The president is not thinking of national security based on reviews from users on whether they are happy or not on TikTok or any other platform,” the official said.

Federal employees are banned from having TikTok on their phones, so Biden administration staff are not allowed to have the app on their work phones.

Biden’s campaign staff workers are not employed by the government and do not deal with national security issues, so they are allowed to have TikTok on their phones, said one source briefed on the issue.

But most campaign staffers in frequent contact with the White House have two phones. Just one engages with TikTok in order to isolate using the app from other workstreams and communications, including emails, the source said.

The White House has previously cited concerns about TikTok’s preservation of data and potential misuse of that data and privacy information by foreign actors. “We’re taking the security precautions necessary to make sure no data is getting into the wrong hands,” the source said.

The campaign is trying to reach people “where they are,” the source added. “We’ll see what happens in the Senate, and we’re far away from any decision on this. It’s wait-and-see mode for everybody.”

(REUTERS)