President Biden’s re-election campaign recently posted a 13-second TikTok video that features Kendrick Lamar’s lyrics from “Euphoria” overlaid with insults aimed at Donald Trump. The captions in the video criticize Trump for his treatment of women, immigrants, and his choice of clothing, among other things. The video also includes images of Trump in a tuxedo and looking at his phone.
Interestingly, the Biden campaign did not edit Lamar’s lyrics, so a portion of the song that targets rapper Drake can still be heard. The track snippet used in the video includes lines like “I hate the way that you walk, the way that you talk” and “I hate the way you sneak diss.” The lyrics are part of Lamar’s ongoing feud with Drake and are a direct response to the Toronto-born rapper’s song “First Person Shooter.”
Despite the controversy surrounding TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, being affiliated with the Chinese government, the Biden campaign has stated that they will continue to use the platform to reach voters, especially young audiences. A campaign representative highlighted the importance of using all available tools to connect with voters and emphasized enhanced security measures to protect the campaign’s content on the app. The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to requests for comments on the video.
The feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake has been ongoing for years, but tensions escalated recently after Drake released “First Person Shooter,” featuring J. Cole. In the song, Cole referred to himself, Drake, and Lamar as the “big three,” which Lamar took issue with. In response, Lamar released his own song called “Like That,” where he addressed the comparison made by Cole. The back and forth diss tracks between the two rappers have been a major topic of discussion in the music industry.
As the 2024 election approaches, both the Biden and Trump campaigns are utilizing social media platforms like TikTok to connect with voters. Despite concerns about TikTok’s ties to the Chinese government, the Biden campaign believes it is important to reach voters where they are, including online spaces like TikTok. The use of music lyrics in the campaign videos adds a unique and engaging element to their messaging, showcasing the campaign’s efforts to appeal to younger audiences through popular culture references.