Facebook and Instagram users may be surprised to find posts from President Donald Trump or Vice President JD Vance on their feeds, but the routine transfer of ownership of the White House, president and vice president’s pages happens every four years, according to Meta.
Spokesperson Andy Stone addressed the confusion in a post on X on Tuesday, explaining Meta’s standard practice during presidential transitions.
Stone wrote that the “POTUS” and “White House” accounts “are managed by the White House and they change when the occupant of the White House changes.” If users followed these accounts during one administration, they will continue to follow them even when the administration turns over.
Upon taking office, Trump and his team gained access to a list of official government accounts across Facebook and Instagram, including @POTUS, @WhiteHouse, @VP and @FLOTUS. The accounts of previous administrations are archived, as are their posts and followers. The followers are then transferred to the new official accounts hence why users see the move as “automatic.”
Users can expect this transfer across nearly all branches of government under new leadership and again in four years.
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