Obama gets own Twitter account @POTUS, engages in banter with Bill Clinton

The White House said that the account “will serve as a new way for President Obama to engage directly with the American people, with tweets coming exclusively from him.” It also tweeted a video of the President actually tweeting for the first time from the Oval Office.

Watch President Obama send his first tweet from @POTUS. #FollowTheTweets https://t.co/N8JxY8kQIE

— The White House (@WhiteHouse) May 18, 2015

This was @POTUS ‘s first tweet.

Hello, Twitter! It’s Barack. Really! Six years in, they’re finally giving me my own account. — President Obama (@POTUS) May 18, 2015

The account garnered close to 1.5 million followers just in the space of 12 hours, indicating how popular the President is on Twitter.

The Twitter inaugural was also special, thanks to a friendly banter between Obama and former president Bill Clinton. While Bill welcomed Obama on his own account, he asked him whether the username stays with the office along with the hashtag #askingforafriend. For those who don’t know, Bill’s wife Hillary Clinton, former secretary of state, has announced her candidacy for Presidency in 2016. Therefore, if Hillary does become President, the @POTUS account would eventually pass onto her.

Good question, @billclinton. The handle comes with the house. Know anyone interested in @FLOTUS?

— President Obama (@POTUS) May 18, 2015

In response, Obama, a man known for his quick wit, asked Bill whether he knew anyone who would be interested in @FLOTUS, the official Twitter account of the First Lady of the United States. If Hillary does become President, Bill might have to take over @FLOTUS, albeit we hope with a different username.

(With AFP inputs)