TikTok Ban Rattles Influencers Pushing Pro-Biden Content

When President Joe Biden returned to the White House after delivering his State of the Union address, 23-year-old TikTok influencer Awa Sanneh joined roaring cheers alongside administration staffers gathered on the mansion’s back porch.

Just weeks later, Biden signed into law a bill that forces TikTok’s parent company, Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd., to sell its stake or face a ban in US app stores. That has rattled the social media creators his campaign has taken unprecedented steps to court.

Biden’s embrace of the divest-or-ban bill exemplifies his efforts to contain what administration officials and lawmakers from both parties see as a growing national-security threat from China. Nonetheless, he continues to promote his political message on the platform.

None of the influencers who spoke to Bloomberg News said Biden had lost their vote. However, the new law is likely to turn off younger voters, who've propelled the app to mainstream relevance and are key to Democratic electoral wins. Many are already unenthusiastic about Biden’s reelection.

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