President Obama has his own Twitter account, @POTUS will stay with the office

It only took six years, but the president finally has his own Twitter account. The White House has had its own verified account since April 2009, but messages on that account were not always from the president. Messages from the commander-in-chief were annotated “-bo.”

The president’s campaign has control over the @BarackObama account, with messages from the president also “signed” as “-bo.”Now, the “president” has his (or her) account. @POTUS (President of the United States) will migrate to whomever holds the office.

While Barack Obama cannot claim ownership of the account forever (he will give it up no matter what on January 20,, 2017), the fact that he heralds in a new era of social media connectivity for the office is quite remarkable. The official White House account (@WhiteHouse) commemorated the occasion with a photo of the president making his first tweet on the account using an unnamed mobile device.

So, what does the most visible politician in the world do with a Twitter account? Troll other public figures of course! Former president Bill Clinton offered a Twitter welcome and an inquiry if the account now comes with the office, a not so subtle, but witty, “#askingforafriend” reference to former Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, who is seeking to win election in 2016.

President Obama responds in-kind asking the former president if he knew anyone interested in being “@FLOTUS” (First Lady of the United States), a potentially odd title were Ms. Clinton were to win election. President Obama was not much of a Twitter user prior to taking office, though he is the most tech-savvy president to-date, known for his affinity for using BlackBerrys.

Like many politicians, we are sure the mentions with president’s new handle will not be given too much concern. We are also sure there will be plenty of selfies and other photo opportunities.

sources: @POTUS, @WhiteHouse