Why the Far Right is Thriving on TikTok

In recent years, politicians, and political movements have increasingly turned to TikTok to engage with audiences by leveraging moral emotions—such as anger, pride, empathy, and hubris— to shape public opinion and mobilise supporters.

For instance, during the 2024 U.S. presidential election, political candidates Donald Trump, who has over 15 million followers on the platform, and Kamala Harris, who has more than nine million followers, effectively used the platform to reach and influence voters.

TikTok's political significance in Europe has also grown. Since last year, about 30% of European Parliament lawmakers have actively used the platform.

Research conducted by Politico (see image below) highlights a notable trend regarding European Parliament groups: far-right Identity and Democracy (ID), now known as the Europe of Sovereign Nations Group (ESN), and groups on the left have a significantly higher proportion of members on TikTok compared to centrist political groups. This suggests that more radical political factions find TikTok a suitable platform to disseminate their messages and mobilise voters.

Since its launch in 2016, TikTok has evolved into one of the world's most influential social media platforms. It uses sophisticated recommendation algorithms to connect creators, influencers, and political figures with broader audiences. Its ability to facilitate short, emotionally charged content that spreads rapidly makes it an ideal tool for politicians aiming to evoke moral emotions to shape public discourse.

As Van Badel et al. (2024) put it, "social media often acts as an accelerant for existing moral dynamics, amplifying outrage, status-seeking, and intergroup conflict, while also potentially enhancing more constructive aspects of morality, such as social support, pro-sociality, and collective action."

TikTok's immense popularity among younger demographics provides politicians with a direct channel to engage with them. Newman et al. (2022) observe that social natives—those who have reached adulthood within the last five to 10 years—are significantly less inclined to visit traditional news websites or pay for online news. Instead, they rely heavily on video and audio content from platforms like Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and Spotify for information (Zamora-Medina et al. 2023).

The project will equip citizens with the knowledge and resources to recognise emotional political manipulation and engage critically with social media content

Especially for far-right parties, TikTok presents several advantages. It allows these parties to bypass traditional news outlets and their fact-checking, enabling them to speak directly to voters. This strategy works especially well on TikTok because most of its users are young (Albertazzi and Bonansinga, 2023).

TikTok, Elections, and Young Voters

The influence of TikTok in European political campaigns has become increasingly evident. In the most recent French elections, far-right parties effectively used the platform to gain traction among young voters. The Statista Research Department reports that in the first round of the French elections, the far-right party secured second place among young voters, receiving about one-third of the votes from individuals aged 18 to 24 and 25 to 34.

A notable example is Jordan Bardella. A key figure in French right-wing politics and president of the radical National Rally, Bardella has amassed over two million followers on TikTok. His casual yet confident tone, conversational style, and sense of humour create a relatable persona, making his content appealing to younger audiences and those emotionally disconnected from politics.

A recurring theme in Bardella"s content is French sovereignty, security, and cultural identity. On his videos, he passionately argues for protecting French traditions against globalisation trends and immigration, often reinforcing nationalist sentiments (example here) and sparking public anger towards the elites. During the elections, French President Emmanuel Macron was a major focus of Bardella's attacks.

Similarly, in the U.S., Donald Trump mocked his opponents and sparked emotional reactions from voters about immigration, crime, and his opponents ahead of the elections in November 2024. Donald Trump's TikTok posts painted a picture of America overwhelmed by problems and chaos under Democratic rule, aiming to instil fear and sway voters (see reproductions below).

As these examples show, radical parties have mastered TikTok, using emotional content to strengthen political identities and drive engagement. The platform"s algorithm rewards short, "made-for-engagement" videos, and far-right leaders have adapted seamlessly, ditching traditional speeches for quick, emotionally charged clips. That is resonating with younger audiences. This shift defines how politicians have been connecting with the public, turning moral emotions into an effective tool for influence—and often for manipulation (Gerbaudo, 2024).

It's clear that far-right leaders like Trump, Jordan Bardella, Le Pen, Eric Zemmour, and Matteo Salvini use TikTok effectively, disseminating emotionally charged messages to expand their reach and sway elections. But their growing influence on public discourse, and the consequences for democracy, demand closer scientific scrutiny. Political communication circulated on social media is becoming more emotional, fast-paced, and difficult to navigate. More than persuading, overemotionalised political communication often sparks social division and anti-democratic sentiments. MORES has been researching these issues across Europe. The project will equip citizens with the knowledge and resources to recognise emotional political manipulation and engage critically with social media content.

Meet the Author

Marta Azevedo Silva is a participant in MORES and Communications Manager of ECAS, a consortium partner.

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Post References

Albertazzi, D., & Bonansinga, D. (2023). Beyond anger: The populist radical right on TikTok. Journal of Contemporary European Studies, 32(3), 673–689. https://doi.org/10.1080/14782804.2022.2163380

Gerbaudo, P. (2024). TikTok and the algorithmic transformation of social media publics: From social networks to social interest clusters. New Media & Society, 14614448241304106.

Newman, Nic, et al. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2022. Reuters Institute Digital News Report 2022. https://reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk/sites/default/files/2022-06/Digital_News-Report_2022.pdf

Van Bavel, J. J., Robertson, C. E., Del Rosario, K., Rasmussen, J., & Rathje, S. (2024). Social Media and Morality. Annual Review of Psychology, 75(1), 311–340. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-022123-110258

Zamora-Medina, R., Suminas, A., and Fahmy, S. S. (2023). Securing the youth vote: A comparative analysis of digital persuasion on TikTok among political actors. Media and communication, 11(2), 218-231.