By Jarrett Renshaw
(Reuters) – The White House on Monday joined the social media platform Threads, the Meta rival to Elon Musk’s X social media platform.
The move, which the White House says was in the process for several weeks, comes just days after the White House and others criticized Musk for the amplification and endorsement of an anti-Semitic post.
Major media companies, including Comcast, The Walt Disney Co. and Warner Bros. Discovery, announced that they were pausing ads on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Musk threatened to sue media watchdog Media Matters and those who attacked X following moves by several large U.S. companies to halt marketing on the site after their advertisements appeared alongside antisemitic content.
The White House launched its own official account, as well as accounts for the president, First Lady, vice president, and second gentleman. Additionally, a spokesperson for President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign told CNN that the president, as well as Vice President Kamala Harris, would launch personal accounts on Threads as well.
The White House’s decision to join Threads gives the platform, controlled by Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, added credibility. It also comes as some key public figures declare that they are switching from X to Threads entirely, citing Musk’s conduct as the impetus for the move.
White House spokesperson John Kirby said on Monday he was not aware of efforts to wean the U.S. government off technology companies owned by Musk.
(Reporting by Jarrett Renshaw; Editing by Stephen Coates)
