Biden launches new Twitter account to build following before taking command of White House @POTUS on Inauguration Day

Kelly Tyko, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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When Joe Biden is sworn in on Wednesday, he will take command of the @POTUS and @WhiteHouse Twitter accounts in another official transfer of power.

Twitter outlined late Thursday how it would transfer the accounts, which include @VP, @FLOTUS and @PressSec as well as a new account, @SecondGentleman.

"As we did in 2017, Twitter is actively working with the US government to support the archival and transition of Twitter accounts across administrations," Twitter wrote in a blog post. "As President-elect Biden is sworn in on January 20, 2021, Twitter will facilitate the transfer of institutional White House Twitter accounts."

The Biden camp also unveiled a new Twitter account, @PresElectBiden, to help the president-elect bring aboard followers before Inauguration Day. His aides have complained that Biden is not getting the same deference as Donald Trump, who held onto all of President Barack Obama’s @potus and @whitehouse followers.

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"These institutional accounts will not automatically retain the followers from the prior administration," Twitter said. "People on Twitter who previously followed institutional White House Twitter accounts, or who currently follow relevant Biden or Harris Twitter accounts, will receive in-app alerts and other prompts that will notify them about the archival process, as well as give them the option to follow the new administration’s Twitter accounts."

The Trump administration’s @POTUS account will be publicly archived as @POTUS45, just as Obama was archived as @POTUS44, Twitter said.

Before President Donald Trump's personal account was permanently banned from Twitter last week, the @POTUS account was filled with retweets of the personal account.

Twitter said the new institutional accounts will also be listed in Twitter’s US Elections Hub during the presidential inauguration.

Follow USA TODAY reporter Kelly Tyko on Twitter: @KellyTyko

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Twitter account: How Biden takes over Trump administration