President Obama held a Twitter Q&A on his newly created, and incredibly popular, @POTUS account on Thursday, fielding questions on everything from climate change skeptics to extreme weather becoming a national security issue.
The Q&A session was Obama's first from the @POTUS account, but not the first time he has answered questions on Twitter. President Obama participated in a Twitter town hall in 2011, and Twitter Q&As in August and December of 2012 on the White House's official Twitter account.
His new @POTUS account has been a major success so far, becoming the fastest Twitter account to reach 1 million followers.
Ready to answer your questions on climate change. Let's do this! #AskPOTUS pic.twitter.com/5KrIb5jL6S— President Obama (@POTUS) May 28, 2015
The session kicked off at 1 p.m., and the first question addressed the obvious divides in climate change perceptions in Congress: How does the president respond to climate change deniers?
.@calebmegajew the science is overwhelming but what will move Congress will be public opinion. Your voices will make them open to facts.— President Obama (@POTUS) May 28, 2015
The president also touched on climate change as a driving force behind some global conflicts.
.@ZCarlander more severe weather events lead to displacement, scarcity, stressed populations; all increase likelihood of global conflict.— President Obama (@POTUS) May 28, 2015
Earlier in the day, Obama visited the National Hurricane Center in Miami, where meteorologists put him to work. Obama helped issue a technical forecast discussion for a new tropical storm, Andres, that just formed in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Obama has spent his second term making climate change a legacy issue of his presidency, acting to slash U.S. emissions of greenhouse gases, boost funding for communities to adapt to stronger storms, and negotiate closely with other nations, including China, to jointly cut emissions.
The centerpiece of his domestic policies are regulations by the EPA that would cut greenhouse gas emissions from power plants. Those are currently being challenged in court. Obama echoed the stance of Pope Francis and other religious leaders that humanity has a moral obligation to preserve the earth.
.@drock89 as @Pontifex and other religious leaders have stated we have a moral obligation to the most vulnerable and the next generation.— President Obama (@POTUS) May 28, 2015
But climate wasn't the only thing on the president's mind. He let his love for basketball shine through during a Twitter exchange with one young man who asked for his take on Cleveland Cavaliers player J.R. Smith.
.@POTUS will JR Smith heat up enough in the Finals to destroy the O-Zone and the Warriors? #AskPOTUS— Nathen Vieira (@NathenVieira) May 28, 2015
.@NathenVieira jr smith having a great season but the heart of the Cavs is Lebron. And no one can outshoot Curry - maybe Korver if wide open— President Obama (@POTUS) May 28, 2015
Additional reporting from Andrew Freedman.