A Pew Research Center analysis published June 1 found that U.S. federal agency X accounts received dramatically more engagement during the first year of President Trump’s second term than in the final year of the Biden administration. Across 24 accounts with year-over-year data, the median combined likes and reposts per post climbed from 197 under Biden to 929 under Trump — a near-fivefold increase — with 22 of the 24 accounts posting higher numbers. Standout jumps include the Department of Homeland Security (57 to 2,268), the Department of Labor (16 to 2,152), and the White House (2,112 to 8,614). The newly created @DOGE account stood further apart, averaging about 29,000 engagements per post — more than three times the @WhiteHouse figure — though Pew noted the account has gone largely inactive in recent months.
The study, authored by Pew’s Anna Lieb and Aaron Smith, also tracked shifts in language and posting volume. Across agencies, the words “American” and “president” appeared more than twice as often as in Biden-era posts; the share of ICE posts mentioning “criminal” rose fivefold from 7% to 40%, while the term “alien” appeared in 43% of ICE posts after being essentially absent before. The @RapidResponse47 account — a White House affiliate launched in January 2025 — averaged roughly 40 posts per day, making it the most active account studied, with about 3,400 engagements per post. Pew also documented that several major agencies, including the State Department and the Department of Defense (now also carrying the secondary title Department of War), have removed pre-January 2025 posts from public view. The analysis covered 30 government X accounts, with data collected February 11–18, 2026.