On Friday, Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, made his TikTok debut alongside his dog Scout, humorously dubbing the platform “TimTok.” In the short video, Walz, Minnesota’s 60-year-old governor, greeted viewers with a casual, “Hey everybody. Tim here with Scout at the dog park along the Mississippi, making our first TikTok entry—or as we call it, TimTok. Right, Scout?”
Walz joins a growing list of politicians using TikTok to connect with voters. Vice President Harris recently joined the platform and started posting after President Biden’s endorsement of her presidential bid, following his withdrawal from the 2024 race. The Harris campaign has leveraged TikTok and the social media site X to engage with a younger audience, capitalizing on viral memes such as the “brat” and coconut tree trends that gained traction with her nomination.
Democratic VP Candidate Tim Walz Makes First ‘TimTok’ Appearance with His Dog Scout
Former President Trump, Walz’s likely opponent, also maintains a presence on TikTok. Despite increasing political and public scrutiny regarding the app’s links to China and concerns over user data security, TikTok’s popularity among politicians continues to rise.
Earlier this year, both the House and Senate passed legislation demanding TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, either sell the app or face a U.S. ban. President Biden signed the bill into law in April. TikTok has challenged this law, arguing it infringes on First Amendment rights, with ByteDance facing a divestment deadline of January 19, unless the president opts for a 90-day extension.
