@POTUS Twitter Handle Has Officially Changed Hands

Update: The first official tweet from the new @POTUS has been posted. The message includes only the Inauguration Day hashtag, a link to Trump's full speech, and what appears to be a photo of him waiting to walk out and be sworn in at the US Capitol.

The same photo was Instagrammed by the White House account, along with another that shows President Trump taking the oath of office.

Update: January 20, 2017: Immediately after Donald Trump was sworn in as the 45th President of the United States, he took over @POTUS on Twitter. The account now shows a photo of Trump in front of the American flag and White House. His bio reflects his campaign slogan, saying, "Working on behalf of the American people to make our country great again." The Internet has also been quick to point out that the banner photo on the account was taken on Barack Obama's Inauguration Day — when the weather was better and the crowd was larger. It took a few minutes longer for @FLOTUS to transition from Michelle Obama to Melania Trump. As of 12:03 p.m., Michelle Obama was still the First Lady of the United States on Twitter, although Trump was @POTUS. The change is now reflected, showing a black-and-white photo of Melania Trump with the bio "This account is run by the Office of First Lady Melania Trump." This piece was originally published at 11:57 a.m. on January 20, 2017.

The Obamas' have posted their final tweets as @POTUS and @FLOTUS, and Donald Trump has posted his final message from his much-dissected @realDonaldTrump account — before his tweets occupy the @POTUS account. His words echo talk of "THE MOVEMENT," and he says that "it all begins today." He has also continued to include his trademark capital letters and exclamation points.

It's unclear what will happen to @realDonaldTrump, but the account may be taken over by his staffers for the next four years, as @BarackObama was. Melania Trump, who is not a prolific tweeter like her husband, hasn't tweeted since election day. It will be interesting to see if she — or her staffers — begin tweeting more regularly from @FLOTUS when she takes over the account started by Michelle Obama after today.

The Obama administration has taken steps to ensure a smooth digital transition, posting all details about the archiving of handles and where to follow the Obamas on the White House blog. It has't yet been confirmed if Donald Trump's first tweet as POTUS will come at noon, when his swearing-in takes place, or later today. We will update this piece with Donald Trump and Melania Trump's first official tweets as @POTUS and @FLOTUS.