Former President Barack Obama joined Bluesky, the new social media platform that for many has served as an alternative to Elon Musk-owned X.
Obama’s first post was about the Affordable Care Act, informally known as Obamacare.
“Figured I’d hop on here today for the 15th anniversary of the Affordable Care Act,” Obama wrote on Bluesky. “With everything going on right now, it’s easy to feel like regular folks can’t make a difference — but the ACA is a reminder that change is possible when we fight for progress.”
Obama, who is still active on X, is a notable political addition to Bluesky’s growing user base. He’s far from the only one: Left-leaning major political figures like Senator Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez are active on the platform.
Bluesky, which began as an internal project at Twitter under then-CEO Jack Dorsey, was unveiled to the general public early last year. The site’s layout and functions resemble a pre-Musk takeover Twitter.
The platform’s soar in popularity benefited from backlash against Elon Musk and X following Musk’s political engagements, particularly from left-leaning users globally. Bluesky boasts more than 33 million users today.
Musk used the platform to campaign for President Donald Trump during the 2024 presidential election. In the days after the election, X saw its largest wave of deactivations. Meanwhile, Bluesky welcomed one million users in just a week following election day.
Musk’s political influence has also extended overseas, leading to increasing calls for boycotts of the platform abroad as well. Musk has repeatedly used X to express his support of a number of other right-leaning political figures globally, including Germany’s far-right AfD party. Musk made headlines last week for suspending Turkish opposition accounts as anti-government protests engulf the country.
For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
