President Barack Obama finally has a Twitter account
So, it’s official. After years of signing “-BO” at the end of BarackObama to signal the tweets he crafted himself from an account operated by the Organizing for Action staff, the President now has his very own handle POTUS, tweeting for the first time:
“Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account.”
For his banner photo, the President chose a powerful image from the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches, where he, first lady and Congressman John Lewis (D-Georgia) led a commemorative march, hand in hand, over the Selma Bridge.
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.”
Naturally, folks on social are having a little fun with this new presidential social presence:
And Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy tweeting a gif of the President with a selfie stick:
And some asking the question on a lot of people’s minds, what happens to the handle when a new President takes office?
According to a White House official, POTUS handle will transfer to the next President when Obama leaves office on 2017. President Bill Clinton even had some fun with the news, tweeting: Welcome to Twitter, POTUS! One question: Does that username stay with the office? #askingforafriend
In the meantime, we’ll just wait for your first GIFs and selfies, Mr. President.
