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Kamala Harris joins TikTok and mocks Trump with ‘Bye Bye Bye’ video with Lance Bass

Since launching late last week the vice president’s TikTok account has already gained over three million followers

Mike Bedigan
New York
Sunday 28 July 2024 19:46 BST
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Kamala Harris targets Trump as she unveils campaign focus

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Kamala Harris enlisted the help of former NSYNC member Lance Bass as she launched her official TikTok account.

In one of the first videos posted to her new official profile – which has already gained more than three million followers since appearing late last week – the singer accompanied the vice president in a short clip mocking her would-be opponent Donald Trump.

Holding the camera, Bass asked Harris “Hey Kamala, what are we going to say to Donald Trump in November?

“Bye, bye, bye,” Harris replied – the lyrics to NYSNC’s 2000 hit song of the same name. A short clip of the song played in the background as the pair laughed and waved.

Since launching the channel – @KamalaHarris – the vice president’s team has posted four videos.

Lance Bass and Harris laugh together
Lance Bass and Harris laugh together (TikTok/ @KamalaHarris)

The first, lasting just eight seconds, introduced Harris, with the cameraperson asking “Madam vice president, are you on TikTok?”

“Well I heard recently that I was on the For You Page (recommended videos), so I thought I would get on her myself,” Harris replied.

In recent weeks, TikTok has been flooded with coconut tree and “What can be, unburdened by what has been” memes, as well as old Harris interviews and quotes going viral.

Other TikToks from the Harris campaign included a previously released clip of Harris taking a phone call with Barack and Michelle Obama, as they offered their official support to her campaign.

The fourth was clips from her visit to the set of RuPaul’s Drag Race, where she met contestants in the Werk Room.

It comes as the Harris campaign continues to target the youth vote. "Our job as a campaign is to break through the noise and make sure we’re talking to voters wherever they are — TikTok is one of those landscapes, and we’re leaving no stone unturned," deputy campaign manager Rob Flaherty told People.

On Saturday, Harris sent a pre-recorded message to the Voters of Tomorrow Summit, in which she told young voters that it was clear that “your generation is leaving on the most important issues of our time.”

During the remarks she reiterated that it was young voters that helped elect her and Joe Biden in 2020, saying “this November, we will win again.”

“Last year, I convened more than 15,000 Young Leaders on my nationwide fight for our freedoms college tour, to hear about the issues that matter most to your generation,” she said.

Kamala Harris joins TikTok and mocks Donald Trump with a video collaboration with former NYSNYC member Lance Bass
Kamala Harris joins TikTok and mocks Donald Trump with a video collaboration with former NYSNYC member Lance Bass (TikTok/@KamalaHarris)

“And at every stop, it was so clear to me, your generation is leading on the most important issues of our time.

“In this moment, we then each face a question. What kind of country do we want to live in? A country of freedom, compassion, and the rule of law? Or a country of chaos, fear and hate?

“Here’s the thing. We each have the power to answer this question. And in this election, we are counting on you to energize, to organize and mobilize and to fight for our most fundamental freedoms. And we know, when we fight, we win.”

A new Axios/Generation Lab poll published this week showed that in a Harris-Trump contest, 18 to 24-year-olds were leaning towards Harris, with 60 per cent in her favor compared to 40 per cent for Trump.

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