The White House is already one of the most blocked accounts on Bluesky

The White House has ventured into the realm of Bluesky, a social media platform often seen as a haven for left-leaning users, and the response has been overwhelmingly negative. On its inaugural post, the White House shared a montage of former President Trump's highlights, cheekily stating, “What’s up, Bluesky? We thought you might’ve missed some of our greatest hits, so we put this together for you.” In a show of solidarity, several federal agencies, including the Departments of Homeland Security, Commerce, and Transportation, quickly followed suit by establishing their own accounts. They wasted no time in using the platform to critique Democratic lawmakers concerning the current government shutdown. The Department of State, for instance, remarked, “We heard this is a great place to have an open and honest dialogue, so we’re here to talk about how the Democrat shutdown is undermining our country on the world stage.” However, legal experts have raised concerns that such statements could breach the Hatch Act. The tone of these posts was notably light-hearted and provocative, as the administration's social media team seemed to anticipate a backlash. Bluesky users did not disappoint, with many criticisms directed at Trump’s controversial associations, particularly with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Ben Collins, CEO of The Onion, suggested that the administration's presence on the platform was a sign of their frustration with the freedom of expression that Bluesky allows. In less than two days, the White House account has become one of the most blocked on Bluesky, with approximately 91,000 users opting to block it compared to just 10,000 followers. This statistic places it second only to Vice President JD Vance, who has been on the platform longer. Other new government accounts are also being blocked at a rapid pace, contributing to a list of the most blocked users on the site. Some right-wing users took pride in their decision to follow the Trump administration while simultaneously being blocked by a large number of users.