Twitter to Reset POTUS Account to Zero Followers for Biden

This nation has a deeply rooted history of orderly and peaceful handovers of executive power, even following intensely contested elections. Recent events have prompted questions regarding the continuation of this tradition as January 20th approaches. Despite strong public objections, the current president has indicated he will vacate the office if his legal challenges are unsuccessful – an outcome that appears highly probable at this time.

Interestingly, the Constitution provides no direction concerning the smooth transfer of digital accounts – a detail the nation’s founders could not have anticipated in the age of social media. Twitter has already detailed the procedures for the outgoing president’s account. Specifically, he will no longer receive the special considerations afforded to individuals in positions of political leadership.

Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey addressed this during last month’s congressional testimony, explaining, “When an account no longer represents a world leader, that policy is no longer applicable.” However, consideration must also be given to the incoming president. What will the transition process entail for President-elect Biden? And what will occur if President Trump does not voluntarily relinquish the official @Potus account, as has been speculated?

He has demonstrated reluctance to acknowledge the election results and is unlikely to readily surrender a platform – especially one boasting 33 million followers, though this number is considerably less than his primary account’s following.

Nick Pacilio, from Twitter’s Communications, Government & News team, provided the following statement to TechCrunch regarding this matter: “Twitter is currently engaged in ongoing conversations with the Biden transition team concerning various aspects of the White House account transfers.”

The company, understandably, did not offer a direct response, but collaborating with the incoming administration provides a straightforward solution to avoid complications in transferring over a dozen accounts, as reported by The Wall Street Journal. It is understood that existing posts will be removed, and the new administration will begin with a fresh start – a potentially beneficial situation for the Biden team, considering the often-divisive content previously shared.

According to Biden’s digital director, the @POTUS and White House accounts will also be reset to zero followers, a departure from the transition between the Obama and Trump administrations. Donald Trump’s personal Twitter account has already experienced a notable change. Earlier this week, CEO Jack Dorsey unfollowed the president, along with other prominent political figures, including President-elect Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris.