The U.S. State Department has begun removing all posts made before January 20, 2025, from its public accounts on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
The move follows President Donald Trump’s return to office and represents a significant change in how the federal government manages its online historical record.
The department confirmed that the posts will not be deleted entirely but will instead be archived internally. However, they will no longer be visible to the public. Anyone seeking access to the older posts will need to submit a request under the Freedom of Information Act. That approach differs from long-standing practices in which social media posts from previous administrations typically remain publicly accessible.
According to a State Department spokesperson, the goal of the change is to “limit confusion on U.S. government policy” and ensure the department speaks “with one voice” in advancing the current administration’s priorities. The spokesperson said the archived material will still be preserved in compliance with federal records laws, while public-facing accounts will focus exclusively on present-day messaging.
The directive applies broadly across the department, affecting official accounts for U.S. embassies, ambassadors, bureaus, and programs worldwide. For years, those accounts have documented daily diplomatic activity, including policy announcements, cultural exchanges, humanitarian aid efforts, and public engagement abroad.
Some current and former diplomats, historians, and academics have raised concerns that removing this content from public view could make it harder to track the government’s actions over time. They argue that social media has become an important, if imperfect, record of modern diplomacy and public communication, and that restricting access through formal information requests creates new barriers to transparency.
The move comes amid broader changes by the Trump administration to federal websites and online content. In recent weeks, agencies have removed or revised material related to climate change, public health, civil rights, and historical events that conflict with the administration’s messaging. Other institutions, including museums and national parks, have also altered or removed references tied to previous administrations.
Unlike some high-profile accounts such as @POTUS, which are formally archived and replaced during presidential transitions, State Department accounts have historically retained posts from prior administrations. That continuity has allowed the public to view a long-running digital record of U.S. foreign policy across political eras.
The State Department has not said whether similar removals will occur on other social media platforms, nor whether a publicly searchable archive of the removed posts will be made available. For now, the archived material will remain out of public view, accessible only through formal requests.
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While officials describe the change as an administrative update, critics see it as part of a broader effort to tightly control government messaging in the digital age, blurring the line between governing and content management.
