Biden’s First TikTok Post Jokes About Super Bowl Conspiracy Theory

The president announced his arrival on the platform by poking fun at the notion that he had rigged the Super Bowl.

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President Biden’s campaign had long maintained that it didn’t need TikTok, but in recent weeks, had floated that he would joined the Chinese-owned platform.

Did President Biden cunningly rig the Super Bowl so the Kansas City Chiefs would win?

“I’d get in trouble if I told you,” Mr. Biden joked in his campaign’s inaugural post on TikTok, the Chinese-owned social media platform that has 170 million U.S. users but few high-level American politicians.

The video then cut to an image of the “Dark Brandon” meme — another attempt from the campaign to flip a right-wing conspiracy theory on its head.

Mr. Biden’s arrival to TikTok, and the lighthearted nature of his post, pointed to his ongoing attempts to rebuild his support among young voters. After weeks in which aides had floated that he would join the platform, his campaign pushed the button on its first video during the Super Bowl on Sunday night.

The 30-second clip featured the president dodging questions from an offscreen inquisitor.

Who would win the big game? (He dodged and noted Jill Biden’s fandom for the Philadelphia Eagles.)

Which Kelce brother did he prefer? (Again, a diplomatic response: “Mama Kelce.”)

And was he indeed responsible for a vast conspiracy theory floated on the far right positing that the White House and the N.F.L. had colluded so the Chiefs would win the game and somehow help his re-election campaign? (Cue “Dark Brandon.” Mr. Biden also shared an image of the meme on X shortly after the game, writing, “Just like we drew it up.”)

Joining TikTok is a sharp pivot for the Biden re-election campaign, which had officially maintained that it didn’t need its own TikTok account to reach voters and that it would work through influencers instead.

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