Meta Responds to Claims of Forced Following of Trump Accounts

Tue Nov 11 2025 20:57:39 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Meta clarifies issues regarding automatic follows of Trump administration accounts on its platforms.

Meta, the tech giant overseeing Facebook and Instagram, has issued a statement denying user complaints about being "forced" to follow official accounts of President Trump and his administration.

Following Donald Trump's recent inauguration, some users expressed frustration, claiming they automatically followed the accounts belonging to the new president, Vice-President JD Vance, and First Lady Melania Trump. In response, Meta spokesman Andy Stone clarified that these accounts were updated by the White House to reflect the newly appointed officials, adhering to the same protocol used during the last presidential transition.

Notably, the official accounts now carry the handles Potus (President of the United States), VicePresident, and Flotus (First Lady of the United States), which previously featured Joe and Jill Biden during the former administration. Stone mentioned that it might require some time for follow and unfollow requests to process as the accounts transition ownership.

As Trump takes office for the second time, he wasted no time in signing various executive orders that align with his political agenda, including measures concerning the World Health Organization and a national emergency declaration regarding the U.S.-Mexico border. His inauguration attracted a host of influential tech leaders, including Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg and X's chief Elon Musk, who has been an advisor in the new administration.

Historically, Trump has been an outspoken critic of Meta, which banned him in 2021 due to comments made during the January 6 Capitol riots. Moreover, the former president and his allies accused the company of colluding with the Biden administration to suppress reports associated with Hunter Biden and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Zuckerberg expressed regret over the company's past decisions regarding Trump's online presence. Recently, Trump commented in a book that Zuckerberg could face severe consequences if he interfered in the 2024 election. Nonetheless, since last November's election result, Zuckerberg appears to have sought to mend fences with Trump, having dined with him and later donating more than $1 million to his inauguration.

In line with Trump's previous critique, Meta announced plans to discontinue its third-party fact-checking program in favor of a community-based approach similar to X, aiming to uphold free expression on its platforms.