Twitter keeps promise, Joe Biden’s POTUS account starts with zero followers

Twitter has kept its promise by resetting US President Joe Biden’s official Twitter handle Potus to zero followers. The microblogging site on Wednesday wiped out all followers from the @POTUS and @WhiteHouse accounts, soon after Biden was sworn in as the 46th President of the United States, replacing Donald Trump. This is what Rob Flaherty, Biden’s digital director, said would happen in late December.

Tweets by POTUS

Accounts for the White House, President, Vice President, First Lady and White House Press Secretary have now inherited their new institutional usernames:

@Transition46 has become @WhiteHouse
@PresElectBiden has become @POTUS
@SenKamalaHarris has become @VP
@FLOTUSBiden has become @FLOTUS
@PressSecPsaki has become @PressSec

A new account, @SecondGentleman, is also live.

Twitter has also archived the accounts used by the Trump administration. These include @POTUS45, @WhiteHouse45, @VP45, @PressSec45, @FLOTUS45 and @SecondLady45.

When Donald Trump became the President, his team took over the accounts of Obama administration. Even though Twitter had archived all tweets from the Obama tenure, these accounts retained followers from the time giving benefit to the Trump administration.

On the other hand, Biden will have to claim followers from scratch.
Twitter hasn’t clarified why it decided to change its policy this time. However, all the official accounts of the new government are quickly accumulating new followers. The platform remains to be a major tool for government official’s including the President to connect with the public.

Meanwhile, in his maiden speech as the US President, Biden gave the message of unity and also pledged to repair America’s global alliances, which suffered during his predecessor Donald Trump’s four-year regime.

“Through a crucible for the ages, America has been tested anew, and America has risen to the challenge,” Biden said in his inaugural address. “Today we celebrate the triumph not of a candidate but of a cause: the cause of democracy…At this hour, my friends, democracy has prevailed,” said Biden, apparently referring to Trump’s efforts to deny him victory in the November 3 election won by him.