Twitter has confirmed that the official US presidential accounts currently used by Donald Trump will be wiped of their millions of followers before they are transferred over to the Biden administration.
According to BBC News, Joe Biden’s team wanted to retain the followers, but the social media platform said its decision was “unequivocal.”
However, the decision is a direct reversal from the last election, as Donald Trump specifically requested to keep the followers count that Obama had built.
Rob Flaherty, the president-elect’s digital director, tweeted on Monday, “In 2016, the Trump administration absorbed all of President Obama’s Twitter followers on @POTUS and @WhiteHouse – at Team 44’s urging.”
Flaherty continued, “In 2020, Twitter has informed us that as of right now, the Biden administration will have to start from zero.”
Twitter’s decision affects followers of all government-led accounts such as @POTUS and @FLOTUS.
The social media platform said those who follow the current presidential accounts will receive a notification telling them that they are being archived. Users will be given a choice to follow the Biden administration’s new accounts.
