Usha Vance on Instagram: Follow the Second Lady

Instagram Account Transition for Second Lady and Former Second Gentleman

Beginning this Wednesday, Meta will initiate the merging of Instagram accounts belonging to Usha Vance, the current Second Lady of the United States, and Doug Emhoff, the former Second Gentleman.

Follower Transfer Details

Consequently, the 1.2 million followers previously connected to the Instagram account of Kamala Harris’s husband, designated as @secondgentleman46archive and now archived by the government, will be redirected to follow J. D. Vance’s wife on her newly established account, @SLOTUS.

As of this moment, the @SLOTUS account currently has fewer than 66,000 followers.

Meta’s Official Statement

A Meta spokesperson communicated to TechCrunch: “With the White House establishing an account for the Second Lady, we are transferring the Second Gentleman account to @SLOTUS.”

“This action aligns with our standard procedure during presidential transitions, mirroring the process implemented earlier this year for the President, Vice President, First Lady, and The White House accounts.”

Historical Precedent

A similar situation arose when Donald Trump assumed office in January. Numerous users expressed confusion regarding their automatic following of President Trump on both Facebook and Instagram.

Meta clarified at that time that this was a routine procedure involving the transfer of White House social media accounts, including their respective followers, to the incoming administration upon a change in leadership.

Timing of the Transition

Usha Vance is now receiving the followers from the former Second Gentleman’s Instagram account due to the recent creation of her @SLOTUS account, as explained by Meta.

The inaugural post on the Second Lady’s Instagram appeared on March 10th, and Meta confirms that she does not currently maintain an official Facebook account.

Potential Follow/Unfollow Delays

Users attempting to unfollow @SLOTUS on Instagram should be aware that their requests may experience a delay in processing.

Meta indicates that processing follow and unfollow requests surrounding the @SLOTUS account during this transition may “take some time.”

It is anticipated that a surge in follow and unfollow requests will occur during these account transitions, potentially causing processing slowdowns.

Clarification on Auto-Following

Meta emphasizes that it does not compel users to “auto-follow” accounts without their explicit consent.

The company states that the White House maintains control over these official accounts, and Meta is simply providing assistance during the presidential transition.

Recurring Confusion

While these transitions of White House social media accounts occur every four years, they consistently generate widespread confusion.

Many users often forget that they previously followed an official White House account, particularly if that occurred four years prior during the previous administration’s inauguration.