"TimTok:" Walz brings "big dad energy" to TikTok
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Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz in Las Vegas on Aug. 10. Photo: Ronda Churchill / AFP via Getty Images
Vice presidential candidate and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz made his TikTok debut on Friday, building on the success of his running mate's social media momentum.
The big picture: Vice President Kamala Harris' campaign has swiftly embraced TikTok and social media meme culture, building an in-on-the-joke repertoire with a younger generation as the election nears.
- Walz, who has had some viral moments since joining the ticket — think "everyone's Midwestern dad" content and dog photos — is now jumping onto the platform, too.
Zoom in: The 60-year-old appeared in his first video Friday alongside his dog, Scout, in what he labeled a "TimTok."
- Wearing a hat (though apparently not the camo Harris-Walz cap) and a T-shirt, Walz said he was at a dog park along the Mississippi River.
- The vice presidential candidate's account description reads: "Dad, coach, veteran, MN Governor. Running to win this thing with Kamala Harris."
What they're saying: "Our campaign is focused on one thing: bringing the stakes of this election directly to the voters who will decide it," Hannah Flom, digital director for Walz, said in an emailed statement.
- "Getting the Governor up on TikTok ensures that the incredible number of voters on the platform get to see exactly who he is — a teacher, a coach, a veteran, a father, and a leader who is focused, along with VP Harris, on doing the hard work to make Americans' lives better."
Zoom out: While the campaign has embraced the social media app, the U.S. government has alleged that TikTok's ties to China represent a national security threat.
- President Biden signed a bill in April to force TikTok's Chinese parent company to divest from its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban.
- A Harris campaign spokesperson told Axios earlier this month that they don't want the app to get banned but rather "would just like to see a change in ownership."
Go deeper:
- Campaigns ride the meme wave as 2024 election cycle heats up
- Tim Walz's "big dad energy" wins hearts across the internet
- Harris campaign embraces TikTok as efforts to restrict app sputter along
- Brat campaign: Harris team swiftly embraces Gen Z memes about VP
Editor's note: The story has been updated with a comment from the Harris campaign.
