Walz posts first ‘TimTok’ video alongside pup Scout

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz posted his first TikTok video on Friday with his dog Scout, jokingly referring to the popular social media app as “TimTok.” 

“Hey everybody,” he said in the brief video. “Tim here with Scout at the dog park along the Mississippi, doing our first entry into TikTok, or as he and I say, TimTok. Right, Scout?” 

The 60-year-old Minnesota governor is the latest politician to join TikTok. Vice President Harris made an account and began posting on the app shortly after President Biden bowed out of the 2024 race and endorsed her bid for president last month. 

The Harris campaign has sought to capitalize on the online hype surrounding the vice president on platforms like TikTok and the social platform X, embracing the “brat” and coconut tree memes that rapidly spread after she became the likely Democratic nominee. 

Her Republican opponent, former President Trump, also has a TikTok account. Politicians have increasingly utilized TikTok despite widespread bipartisan concerns about the app’s ties to China and the security of U.S. user data. 

Large majorities in both the House and Senate voted to pass legislation earlier this year requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company ByteDance to divest from the app or face a ban on U.S. networks and app stores. Biden signed the legislation in April.  

TikTok sued to block the divest-or-ban law in May, arguing it violates the First Amendment. The app currently faces a ticking clock, as ByteDance technically has until Jan. 19 to divest from TikTok unless the president chooses to extend the deadline by 90 days.