Auto-followed Trump on Facebook? It’s probably because you previously liked the POTUS account

By: The Associated Press Posted: 1:38 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some Facebook and Instagram users were surprised to find themselves automatically following the accounts of President Donald Trump or Vice President JD Vance this week after the president was inaugurated — but that's likely because they had previously followed official U.S. government accounts.

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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 21/01/2025 (230 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Some Facebook and Instagram users were surprised to find themselves automatically following the accounts of President Donald Trump or Vice President JD Vance this week after the president was inaugurated — but that’s likely because they had previously followed official U.S. government accounts.

Meta spokesman Andy Stone said in a Threads post that the official POTUS and White House accounts are managed by the White House and “change when the occupant of the White House changes.”

The same goes for accounts for the U.S. vice president and first lady.

After the new president is sworn in, the Facebook and Instagram accounts of the previous administration are archived and the posts, as well as followers, are preserved. These followers are then transferred to the new official accounts.

As of Tuesday morning, Joe Biden’s archived POTUS account had 11 million followers on Facebook, as did Trump’s official POTUS account.

To unfollow an account you don’t want to follow, click the ellipsis on the profile page and click “unfollow” or “block.”