It’s official. This week, President Obama joined Twitter, to much fanfare.
While the reactions were mixed, most notable was the reception he received from former president Bill Clinton.
Per a statement from the White House, the @POTUS handle “will serve as a new way for President Obama to engage directly with the American people, with tweets coming exclusively from him.”
From his Twitter handle @POTUS, Obama tweeted,
Hello, Twitter! It's Barack. Really! Six years in, they're finally giving me my own account.
— President Obama (@POTUS44) May 18, 2015
For his very first banner photo, the President chose a stunning image from the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches.
Twitter fans (including First Lady Michelle), immediately welcomed him to the Twitter-verse.
It's about time, @POTUS! –mo
— First Lady- Archived (@FLOTUS44) May 18, 2015
https://twitter.com/erinruberry/status/600326566745366528
Welcome to twitter @POTUS! Looking forward to lots of Presidential selfies pic.twitter.com/jjWnkwX14h
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) May 18, 2015
Always forward thinking, Bill Clinton posed a question that seemed to be on behalf of his favorite 2016 presidential candidate.
Welcome to @Twitter, @POTUS! One question: Does that username stay with the office? #askingforafriend
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) May 18, 2015
But Obama got the last laugh by asking a question of his own.
Good question, @billclinton. The handle comes with the house. Know anyone interested in @FLOTUS?
— President Obama (@POTUS44) May 18, 2015
@POTUS See you're asking @billclinton for @FLOTUS recommendations? Is that what he will be called if @HillaryClinton wins?? 🙂
— Stephanie Fox (she/her) 🦊 (@jurismorte) May 19, 2015
Which brings up a good point. If Hillary wins the next election, what would we call her husband?
Not surprisingly, not everyone was excited about the POTUS’ new social media presence. There have been droves of hateful tweets sent to the account in just the first twenty-four hours. But the joke is on them. According to the Washington Post, not only does the Secret Service already monitor Twitter for threats but the White House is archiving each and every thing @POTUS tweeters say.
Which means: if you post something inappropriate to the president, it will live in an official White House Archive for eternity (with the potential for future scrutiny).