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Former US ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley revealed her new Twitter account Tuesday, having been forced to retire her official one and its 1.67 million followers after leaving her post.
The ex-South Carolina governor — chosen for the UN role by President Donald Trump in 2016 — switched accounts due to an Obama-administration State Department rule which restricts social media use. The rule's aim is to stop officials from building their followings at the country's expense, NBC reported.
Due to State Dept rules that were changed by the outgoing administration, I have had to clear my personal Twitter account that I have had for years. The followers, the history, the pictures, and all other content. Please refollow and retweet this to your friends. Heres to 2019!
— Nikki Haley (@NikkiHaley) January 1, 2019
"Due to State Dept rules that were changed by the outgoing administration, I have had to clear my personal Twitter account that I have had for years. The followers, the history, the pictures, and all other content," she wrote.
The former South Carolina governor didn't have to "clear" her previous account however, as noted by former Homeland Security Department counsel (and Obama appointee) Eric Columbus. It's still available under @AmbNikkiHaley. She has urged people to follow her new @NikkiHaley handle.
As of Wednesday morning, Haley's new account already had more than 168,000 followers.
Haley announced her plan to leave the UN ambassador post in October, and said she wouldn't be running for president in 2020.
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