As President Obama’s State of the Union address nears, the White House used social media to share a sneak peek of how the president and his administration are prepping for the address. Over the past week, a series of White House staffers have taken turns taking over the @WhiteHouse Instagram account to share a few photos of what they’re doing to help prepare for the State of the Union, using the hashtag #InsideSOTU.
The president’s chief speechwriter Cody Keenan took over the account first, on Wednesday of last week, and shared a series of photos of Obama, his staff, drafts of his speech, and more, to give followers a glimpse into how the State of the Union address comes together.
In the first photo, which shows Obama with a speechwriter, the caption reads: “Hey, everybody. I’m Cody Keenan, the President’s Chief Speechwriter, and today I’m taking over the @WhiteHouse Instagram account to give you a look inside the State of the Union. I hope you’ll follow along. #InsideSOTU”
The caption for the above photo reads: “Some of POTUS’ work on the first draft. #SpoilerAlert #InsideSOTU -Cody”
The caption for the above photo reads: “This is one of our speechwriters, Laura, calling someone who sent President Obama a letter to ask if the President could share their story. #InsideSOTU”
Next, White House Senior Advisor Valerie Jarrett took over the account and shared a few photos of her own:
Caption: “Hey everyone! I’m Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to the President, and I’m taking over the @whitehouse Instagram today. From meetings in the West Wing to calls with some amazing Americans, I hope you’ll follow along for a look #InsideSOTU. —Valerie”
Caption: “Check-in with my team: Paulette Aniskoff, David Agnew and Yohannes Abraham. We’re following up on a series of conversations with folks from around the country about what they hope to hear from the President in his address. #InsideSOTU –Valerie”
Over the weekend, the White House Instagram account was taken over by Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, and Dag Vega, White House Director of Broadcast Media, who each shared several photos around their offices and described their roles in helping the White House prepare for the address. Then on Monday, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney took over the account:
Caption: “Jay Carney here, taking over the @WhiteHouse Instagram today! Starting early with a pre-SOTU communications meeting and a cup of joe. #InsideSOTU -Jay”
He even took his next photo while standing at the podium in the White House Briefing room during the daily press briefing to reporters:
Caption: “Say cheese! #InsideSOTU -Jay”
The White House also tweeted a photo from the opposite angle, showing Jay taking his photo during the press briefing:
Live from the White House Briefing Room: @PressSec Jay Carney takes an @Instagram of the press corps. #InsideSOTU, pic.twitter.com/GV04nXxzwq
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 27, 2014And finally, the White House took to Vine to release a 6-second video of the President himself encouraging Americans to tune in and watch the address tomorrow:
President Obama has a special message about his 5th State of the Union → https://t.co/eX1XqLwwCM
Tune in Tuesday at http://t.co/GD8K6aq7lH
— The White House (@WhiteHouse) January 27, 2014
Nisha Chittal