Here’s why users on Instagram & Facebook following Trump automatically
Following the recent U.S. presidential inauguration, numerous Facebook and Instagram users reported that their accounts automatically began following President Donald Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance.
This occurrence led to confusion and concerns about potential manipulation of follower counts.
AP reports that Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, clarified that this automatic following is a standard procedure during administrative transitions.
So, here's exactly why you might be automatically following Trump on Instagram and Facebook:
When a new administration takes office, official accounts such as @POTUS and @VP are transferred to the incoming leaders, retaining their existing followers while resetting their content.
Consequently, users who previously followed these official accounts under the former administration now find themselves following the new officeholders.
Andy Stone, Meta’s communications director, emphasized that users were not forcibly made to follow these accounts. He noted that follow and unfollow requests might experience delays during the transition period.
Stone stated, “People were not made to automatically follow any of the official Facebook or Instagram accounts for the President, Vice President, or First Lady. Those accounts are managed by the White House, so with a new administration, the content on those Pages changes.” (Business Insider)
This practice is consistent with previous transitions, including the handover from President Obama to President Trump. Official accounts are preserved by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) to maintain historical records.
Users who prefer not to follow the new administration’s accounts can manually unfollow or block them through their profile settings.
However, some users have reported difficulties in unfollowing these accounts, attributing the issues to technical glitches during the transition.
This situation has sparked discussions about social media platform practices and user autonomy, especially in the context of political transitions.
