Losing All Young Supporters... TikTok Ban Bill, Biden's Self-Defeating Move?

Trump's 'Likes' Twice as Many as Biden's

With the enactment of the 'TikTok Ban Act' in the United States, the number of pro-Trump posts on TikTok has been found to be twice that of pro-Biden posts. TikTok, mainly used by Americans in their teens to thirties, is a social networking service (SNS) with a higher favorable opinion toward the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. There is speculation that former President Donald Trump could capture some of the young voters with Democratic leanings in this presidential election.

On the 23rd (local time), The New York Times (NYT) reported, citing internal TikTok analysis, that since last November, the number of pro-Trump posts on TikTok has increased to 1.29 million, about twice the 651,000 pro-Biden posts. The NYT stated, "A major factor in this increase was President Biden signing the TikTok Ban Act," adding, "It triggered backlash among young voters who overwhelmingly supported President Biden in the 2020 election."

According to the NYT, TikTok users supporting the Republican Party endorsed former President Trump's campaign speeches expressing his views on immigration and LGBT (sexual minority) rights, and some users posted content mocking President Biden and Democratic politicians.

The TikTok Ban Act, promulgated on the 24th of last month with President Biden's signature, stipulates that if the Chinese parent company ByteDance does not sell TikTok's U.S. business rights within one year at the latest, the service will be banned.

Before the TikTok Ban Act, public opinion on TikTok was more favorable to the Democratic Party than the Republican Party. During the Trump administration in 2020, an executive order to ban TikTok was issued, and Republican politicians have consistently expressed negative views on TikTok due to security concerns. This was evaluated as contributing to young voters leaning toward President Biden in the 2020 election.

Former President Trump appears to be using the TikTok Ban Act as an offensive strategy for his re-election. Recently, on his social networking service (SNS) Truth Social, he stated, "Young people should remember that the crooked President Biden is trying to take away your TikTok," and urged, "If you are young and smart, vote for Trump." The political action committee (PAC) supporting Trump's presidential campaign opened a TikTok account this month and has successfully gathered about 14,000 followers so far.

The NYT predicted that TikTok could play a role in damaging President Biden's path to re-election. The NYT explained, "According to one poll, President Biden remains unpopular among young voters who lean left on issues such as abortion and gun control."

Earlier, CNBC analyzed at the end of March that the TikTok Ban Act could be a negative factor for President Biden in the election, citing the low approval rating of Biden among the main TikTok user age group of 18 to 34 years old.