Mark Zuckerberg’s newest social media platform has a brand new high-profile person: The President of america.
After Elon Musk endorsed an antisemitic conspiracy principle on X, his social media platform previously referred to as Twitter, the White Home criticized his “unacceptable” feedback.
“We condemn this abhorrent promotion of antisemitic and racist hate within the strongest phrases,” mentioned White Home spokesperson Andrew Bates in a assertion on Friday.
On Monday, President Joe Biden seemingly took one other step in condemning Musk’s feedback: Biden joined X’s closest competitor, Threads.
“Of us, it is President Biden,” the official @POTUS account revealed on Nov. 20 in its first publish on Threads. “You are listening to from me as we speak from a brand new platform, however my message to you hasn’t modified: Proper now, we face an inflection level – a kind of difficult moments in historical past the place the choices we make as we speak will decide many years to come back. However I do not see a darkish, dismal, divided future for America. I see an America about to take off. I am going to proceed doing every part in my energy to fulfill this second – and hold you posted alongside the best way.
The White Home has not given any official cause as to why Biden has chosen now to affix Threads, which is owned by Fb’s dad or mum firm, Meta, and carefully built-in with Instagram. Threads launched in July and gained 100 million customers in only a matter of days as social media aficionados seemed for a Musk-less Twitter various. The platform has struggled to maintain all these customers lively however has continued to develop with a devoted userbase within the tens of thousands and thousands.
Nevertheless, the timing is fascinating. Main advertisers have fled X in current days, following the blowback from Musk’s feedback surrounding the antisemitic conspiracy principle that he promoted. Additionally, polls have proven Biden lagging behind Donald Trump amongst key demographics as we head into the 2024 presidential election season. Considered one of Biden’s greatest challenges has been his help of Israel’s navy marketing campaign in Gaza towards Hamas, which many teams corresponding to younger voters and the Democratic base disagree with.
If the latter was considered one of White Home’s calculations in having Biden be a part of Threads, it would not appear to be going that effectively. Inside minutes of Biden’s first publish on the platform, the replies have already crammed with customers demanding a ceasefire and posting “Free Palestine” and different phrases of help for the Palestinian individuals.
