Biden’s TikTok dance

From: POLITICO West Wing Playbook - Wednesday Jun 22,2022 10:15 pm

Jun 22, 2022

Presented by The American Petroleum Institute (API)

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President JOE BIDEN needs the TikTokers.

The problem is, he’s not on TikTok.

The app’s parent company, ByteDance, is based in Beijing and the administration has determined it shouldn’t be used on “White House and other federal government work equipment for security reasons,” according to an administration official.

But the White House — which has seen Biden’s approval rating among 18-to 34-year-olds dip significantly since he took office — is trying to find ways to reach the young TikTok audience without an @POTUS account.

One way: the Democratic National Committee has set up a TikTok account after advising campaigns in 2020 to avoid the app. The committee is taking security precautions. It has dedicated devices for TikTok specifically that are isolated from “other DNC assets/processes/business as a mitigation to the privacy risk,” the committee said.

“The DNC's privacy concerns with regard to TikTok remain unchanged,” said DANIEL WESSEL, the committee’s deputy communications director. “We take additional precautions when developing content and communicating with voters through that medium, and advise campaigns to take similar precautions."

But the use of TikTok by the DNC still represents an evolution in the larger attitude the party has adopted with respect to the platform. Other prominent Democrats like Georgia gubernatorial candidate STACEY ABRAMS and Sen. JON OSSOFF (D-Ga.) have also joined TikTok. And the White House has participated in videos with creators like comedian BENNY DRAMA, the JONAS BROTHERS, and science guy BILL NYE — all of whom uploaded the TikToks to their own accounts with wide reach. The White House also gave TikTok stars a briefing on the war in Ukraine, the Washington Post first reported in March.

It’s easy to see the motivation. TikTok was the most visited website in the world in 2021, even surpassing Google, according to Cloudflare, a cloud-infrastructure company that tracks internet traffic.

And the DNC’s TikTok videos regularly get more views than the committee’s Instagram videos. Earlier this month, the same short clip of Rep. KATIE PORTER (D-Calif.) talking about gun reform tallied 50,000 views as an Instagram reel versus the 163,000 views on TikTok.

The Republican National Committee, meanwhile, does not have an account. “We do not have any plans to give the Chinese Communist Party our data, nor do we plan to use their spyware,” said RNC spokesperson Nathan Brand.

The delicate dance with the Chinese company comes amidst a recent Buzzfeed report that TikTok repeatedly accessed U.S. user data from China . During the Trump administration, the Treasury Department’s Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. opened an investigation into TikTok. DONALD TRUMP then issued an executive order that would ban TikTok if it didn’t sell itself to an American company. Many twists and turns and legal challenges later, ByteDance has been negotiating with Oracle about storing its data in the U.S., and has not divested TikTok.

The White House declined to comment.

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Given global realities, it is time for an energy awakening – for the natural gas and oil supply chain and the government at all levels to open a new era of working together to ensure that essential energy resources are unlocked; to encourage investment opportunities and accelerate infrastructure development; and to strengthen global energy security, affordability and reliability. Last week, the American Petroleum Institute unveiled a 10-point plan to help America do just that. Read More.

POTUS PUZZLER

This question is courtesy of reader JUDITH BARNETT. Who was the only Eagle Scout to have ascended to the U.S. presidency?

(Answer at the bottom)

The Oval

DNC —> WHITE HOUSE: The DNC’s political director ALANA MOUNCE is moving over to the White House’s political team, according to two people familiar with the matter. It is unclear what her new title will be in the office led by deputy chief of staff JEN O’MALLEY DILLON.

PUTTING A PAUSE ON IT: The president called on Congress today to suspend the federal gas tax for three months until September, in the administration’s latest effort to tame prices at the pump. The move would relieve Americans from the federal government’s 18 cent tax per gallon on gas and 24 cent tax per gallon on diesel. The proposition is likely not going anywhere though, as both Democrats and Republicans in Congress widely oppose such a move.

THE WOLF OF WHITE HOUSE: Former Obama adviser ROBERT WOLF, who was spotted at the White House earlier this month, confirmed to West Wing Playbook that he advocated for the suspension of the federal gas tax in recent talks with top Biden administration officials, including chief of staff RON KLAIN . In a phone call, Wolf said regardless of the effort’s success, Biden's push could motivate states to suspend their gas taxes for the summer.

"If we can get movement to lower prices at the pump, that gets the money back into hard working Americans' pockets, how can that ever be a negative?" he said.

Wolf also predicted that the Biden White House may explore other initiatives to lower consumer prices amid rising inflation: "My guess is there are going to be more announcements coming out on food and energy prices," he said.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE WANTS YOU TO READ: A new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau review examining the use of “excessively high late fees” by credit card companies that the agency says costs Americans $12 billion every year. The review was announced by CFPB director ROHIT CHOPRA, and shared on Twitter by National Economic Council communications advisor JESSE LEE and White House assistant press secretary EMILIE SIMONS.

WHAT THE WHITE HOUSE DOESN’T WANT YOU TO READ: Or should we say listen to. Today’s episode of New York Times’ “The Daily” with reporter ALEXANDER BURNS. It’s all about the reasons why Biden’s poll numbers are so low. The White House also may not be encouraged by this Wall Street Journal piece, titled “Gas-Tax Holidays Often Do Little to Ease Political Pressure.”

EARTHQUAKE DEVELOPMENTS: Biden is “monitoring developments” following a deadly earthquake in Afghanistan that killed at least 1,000 people, National Security Adviser JAKE SULLIVAN said in a statement Wednesday. The president has also “directed USAID and other federal government partners to assess U.S. response options to help those most affected.” More details from our MATT BERG .

FIRST IN WEST WING PLAYBOOK: SUJEET RAO has left the White House where he was senior policy adviser on the White House COVID-19 response team, DANIEL LIPPMAN has learned. After getting married earlier this month, Rao, who also served in the Education Department in the Obama administration, is taking some time off before deciding on his next step.

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THE BUREAUCRATS

INFLATION SURPRISE: Federal Reserve Chair JEROME POWELL said that “surprises could be in store” when it comes to inflation, VICTORIA GUIDA reports for Pro s.

At a Senate Banking Committee hearing Wednesday, the Fed chair also said the war in Ukraine is not the primary driver of inflation: “No. Inflation was high before, certainly before the war in Ukraine broke out.”

STILL MULLING IT OVER: U.S. Trade Representative KATHERINE TAI told lawmakers the president remains undecided in lifting Trump-era tarriffs on China, a move the administration has been considering for months, GAVIN BADE reports. Tai said “that with respect to China tariffs and next steps on actions, that they are pending with him right now.”

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What We're Reading

FDA to Order Juul E-Cigarettes off U.S. Market (WSJ’s Jennifer Maloney)

Brittney Griner’s Supporters Call on Biden to Strike a Deal to Free Her (NYT’s Maggie Haberman)

Justice Dept. expands Jan. 6 probe with fresh subpoenas (WaPo’s Spencer S. Hsu, Josh Dawsey and Devlin Barrett)

Fact Check-The Atlantic did not publish headline calling President Biden’s bike fall ‘heroic’ (Reuters)

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POTUS PUZZLER ANSWER

GERALD FORD. He said “one of the proudest moments of my life came in the Court of Honor when I was awarded my Eagle Scout badge. I still have that badge. It is a treasured possession.”

And the feeling is mutual. After Ford died in December 2006, 400 hundred Eagle Scouts paid homage to him at his Grand Rapids, Mich., presidential museum.

A CALL OUT — Thanks again to Judith for the question. Do you think you have a more difficult one? Send us your best question on the presidents with a citation and we may feature it.

Edited by Eun Kyung Kim and Sam Stein.

A message from The American Petroleum Institute (API):

Washington policymakers must confront the global mismatch between demand and supply that has driven higher fuel prices by supporting greater U.S. production. To address the growing crisis we face, Congress and the President must support energy investment, create new access and prevent regulations from unnecessarily restricting energy growth. The world is calling out for energy leadership. America can and should step up now. Read the American Petroleum Institute’s 10 in 2022 Plan which outlines 10 actions Congress can take to unleash U.S. energy and drive economic recovery. Read here.