Boxer and social media influencer Jake Paul posted a TikTok with Republican presidential hopeful Vivek Ramaswamy on Wednesday, calling for more politicians to “connect with Gen Z and millennials on social.”
“Getting Vivek on Tik Tok because i believe our politicians of the future should connect with gen z and milennials on social where we all live and breathe,” the 26-year-old Paul wrote. “Its bizarre that in this day and age our presidents have no connection with us via social. Only the occasional tweets.”
@jakepaul Getting Vivek on Tik Tok because i believe our politicians of the future should connect with gen z and milennials on social where we all live and breathe. Its bizarre that in this day and age our presidents have no connection with us via social. Only the occasional tweets. Meet @Vivek Ramaswamy ♬ original sound – GenosPicks
Ramaswamy is now the first major Republican presidential candidate to join the social media platform.
“We’re in this to reach young people, to energize young people,” he said in his inaugural TikTok. “And to do that, we can’t just hide. And so yes, I’m officially on TikTok. We’re going to be on here a lot. You can’t play in the game and then not play in the game, so we’re here.”
@vivekramaswamy.2024 I’m the 2024 presidential candidate.
♬ original sound – Vivek Ramaswamy
Ramaswamy previously called TikTok a “national security concern” and said it is reasonable to consider a ban—or at least a ban on young people using it.
“It is a Trojan horse for data collection in the United States,” he said in February.
He separately accused China of pushing “digital fentanyl via TikTok.”
Ramaswamy—who at 38 is the youngest candidate in the race—has also floated adding hurdles to those seeking to vote under the age of 25.
In May, Ramaswamy voiced support for a proposal to raise the voting age from 18 to 25, except for younger individuals who served at least six months in the military or as a first responder, or passed the same test administered to those seeking to become naturalized citizens.
“When you attach greater value to the act, we will see more 18-to-25-year-olds actually vote than do now,” he argued.
His proposal was met with swift backlash, with some likening it to literacy tests and other Jim Crow laws that once sought to restrict Black voters.
At the time, he argued the debate around his proposal itself would “catalyze a long overdue conversation in America about what it means to be a citizen and how to foster civic pride in the next generation.”
The entrepreneur and political newcomer has been making small gains in national polls as he seeks to differentiate himself from a crowded field of candidates with varied political backgrounds.
According to a RealClearPolitics average of recent polls, Ramaswamy currently sits in third place with 6.6%—behind Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (13%) and former President Donald Trump (56.1%).
He currently has an edge over a number of candidates who came into the race with more name recognition than him, including former United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley (5.8%); former Vice President Mike Pence (4.8%); former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (3%); and Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.)(2.5%).
However, not everything was thrilled by the announcement.
“The most obnoxious crossover in the history of crossovers,” wrote one user on X.
