David Bridges
If you noticed that your Facebook account has suddenly followed President Donald Trump this week, you’re not alone. Many users are experiencing this same surprise. However, Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, asserts that this occurrence is not as concerning as it may seem. They explain that it stems from standard operational procedures rather than any manipulative tactics.
Users on Facebook and Instagram have expressed their frustration, accusing Meta of artificially inflating Trump’s follower count by making them follow him without consent, especially in light of the recent inauguration. This situation came to light when numerous individuals found their accounts linked to Trump’s profile, despite having no intention of following him. This unexpected development has raised eyebrows and led to questions about Meta’s practices.
As of now, both the official POTUS and White House Facebook pages boast an impressive 11 million followers each, illustrating the significant reach these accounts have. This follower count reflects Trump’s enduring influence and the interest surrounding his administration.
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It’s understandable for users to feel suspicious about this situation. Recently, Meta has been seen aligning closely with Trump, implementing various policy changes to better resonate with the new administration’s objectives and to gain favor from the president. Trump’s evident fascination with social media engagement, demonstrated by the massive views on his TikTok videos, even appeared to sway his decision on delaying a U.S. ban on the app.
Moreover, with the sweeping executive orders from Trump and the accompanying policy adjustments by Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it’s evident that the usual norms of social media interactions are no longer applicable. However, Meta maintains that the circumstances are not as they appear.
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In response to the growing concerns, Meta’s communications director Andy Stone addressed the situation on both Threads and X, clarifying that the tech giant is not compelling Facebook or Instagram users to follow President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, or First Lady Melania Trump. Instead, he explained that the official social media accounts associated with the White House have simply transitioned to the new administration.
Stone elaborated, stating, “Those accounts are managed by the White House, so with a new administration, the content on those Pages changes.” He emphasized that this protocol mirrors the procedures followed during previous presidential transitions, ensuring continuity in official communications.
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Consequently, users who had previously followed former President Joe Biden, former Vice President Kamala Harris, or former First Lady Jill Biden may find themselves automatically following the Trump administration counterparts in these roles as part of this transition process.
Despite Meta’s explanations, not all users are satisfied. Some individuals assert that they had no interest in following any political accounts, yet were inexplicably added to Trump’s follower list. Others have pointed out that the accounts for the Trump administration were newly created this month, leading to further confusion. Some even reported that their follow history indicated they had actively followed Trump this month, rather than being grandfathered into the new administration’s following.
In response, Meta’s public affairs director Nkechi Nneji commented to CBS News, suggesting that some users might have simply forgotten that they had initially followed U.S. government accounts in the past.
Nneji reiterated, “Meta doesn’t make anyone follow any account, and we never have,” reinforcing the notion that users have agency over their social media interactions.
Credit: Screenshot: Mashable
Former Facebook public policy director Katie Harbath also provided insights regarding the peculiar creation dates of these accounts and the timing of users’ follows. While Meta claims to be simply transferring social media accounts to the incoming administration, the reality is that they create entirely new accounts. Meta essentially ensures that the new administration’s pages inherit the same followers and URL as their predecessors, so it functions seamlessly as though it were the same account.
This process allows for the archiving of the previous administration’s accounts under a new URL. Therefore, Biden’s presidential Facebook page and his White House’s page can still be accessed as they were prior to Trump’s inauguration this week.
“[M]y team set up the first ways of having to do this when Trump won in 2016, and we had to transfer the official accounts that President Obama’s team created when Facebook pages were first established,” Harbath explained on Threads. “The same procedure was applied during the transition from Trump to Biden. The old accounts are archived, the followers remain, but the feed is wiped clean. Most platforms manage it this way.”
Unfortunately, cleaning up your follow list to remove unwanted accounts isn’t as straightforward as simply unfollowing those you don’t wish to see. Many users have voiced their frustration after repeated attempts to unfollow Trump, only to find themselves automatically re-following him soon after. This recurring issue has left people feeling exasperated with the process.
Stone cautioned that it may take longer than usual for users to opt out of or into Trump’s updates as these accounts transition ownership. Therefore, if you prefer not to engage with this content, you might find it beneficial to take a break from Facebook and Instagram for a while to avoid this situation altogether.
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