US Vice President JD Vance has joined Bluesky, a social media platform rivaling X (formerly Twitter), and invited his over four million followers to join him. Vance signed up for Bluesky on Wednesday and shared screenshots of his post on X, writing, “Just set up my page on @bluesky, hope to see you guys there!” In his first post on Bluesky, he said, “Hello Bluesky, I’ve been told this app has become the place to go for common sense political discussion and analysis. I’m thrilled to be here to engage with all of you”.
However, Vance’s Bluesky account was briefly suspended shortly after joining due to automated impersonation detection, which was quickly resolved after verification from Bluesky’s team. A Bluesky spokesperson explained that “Vice President Vance’s account was briefly flagged by our automated systems that try to detect impersonation attempts which have targeted public figures like him in the past. The account was quickly restored and verified so people can easily confirm its authenticity”. Bluesky introduced blue checks to verified accounts in April to confirm users’ identities.
Vance’s presence on Bluesky has garnered significant attention, with his followers exceeding 6,000. He also praised conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’s concurring opinion on medical care for transgender youth, calling it “quite illuminating”. This development comes as the Supreme Court upheld a law banning gender-affirming medical treatments for transgender minors, a contentious issue in American politics.
Bluesky, founded by Jack Dorsey in 2019, has gained popularity as a platform for “common sense political discussion and analysis”. With around 30 million active users, it lags behind X’s estimated 600 million active users in early 2025. Despite this, Bluesky’s user base is growing, and its emphasis on moderation and authentic discourse may attract users seeking refuge from polarized online discussions.
Vance’s decision to join Bluesky reflects the evolving landscape of political social media, where leaders experiment with new platforms to reach audiences in curated environments. This trend points toward a future of more segmented, ideologically defined social media spaces, each with its own rules, cultures, and communication styles. As Bluesky continues to grow, it will be crucial for the platform to balance security with user experience and maintain its unique community culture.
JD Vance’s decision to join Bluesky might be seen as a strategic move, given the growing tension between Donald Trump and Elon Musk. With Musk’s increasing influence on Trump’s circle, including rumored plans to lead the Department of Government Efficiency, Vance may be looking for alternative platforms to express himself without being tied to X, the platform owned by Musk. Bluesky, as a newer social media platform, offers Vance a chance to establish his presence and build a following independent of the dynamics between Trump and Musk.
This move could also signal a subtle shift in allegiances or a desire to maintain distance from the Musk-Trump axis, allowing Vance to carve out his own space in the political and social media landscape. By joining Bluesky, Vance may be positioning himself for future political endeavors, leveraging the platform’s growing popularity to reach a wider audience.