Today, the work begins. pic.twitter.com/OqdALNJj4A
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 20, 2021
The Twitter handles replaced the names of a number of accounts used by the Biden administration before inauguration day, with @Transition46 becoming @WhiteHouse, @PresElectBiden becoming @POTUS, @SenKamalaHarris becoming @VP, @FLOTUSBiden becoming @FLOTUS and @PressSecPsaki becoming @PressSec. Douglas Emhoff, Kamala Harris's husband, also received a new account on Wednesday: @SecondGentleman.
Tweets from former president Donald Trump's administration are still available at @POTUS45, @WhiteHouse45, @VP45, @PressSec45, @FLOTUS45 and @SecondLady45.Biden's first @POTUS tweet after his inauguration read "There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face. That's why today, I am heading to the Oval Office to get right to work delivering bold action and immediate relief for American families."
There is no time to waste when it comes to tackling the crises we face. That's why today, I am heading to the Oval Office to get right to work delivering bold action and immediate relief for American families.
— President Biden (@POTUS) January 20, 2021
A similar process was done when former president Barack Obama, the first president to use Twitter, left office, although Trump automatically inherited all the followers from the prior administration, while Biden did not, according to CNET. Instead, Twitter notified followers and users about the change and gave them the option to follow the new accounts. The accounts are also listed on an online hub for US elections.
The new @WhiteHouse account had 2.5 million followers as of 11:30 p.m. Israel time. The new @POTUS account had 3.5 million followers and the new @VP account had 6.5 million followers.
The tweets from Obama's administration were also archived in separate accounts, with the number 44 following the account names.