After taking over as White House press secretary on Monday from Jay Carney, Josh Earnest also assumed control of the @PressSec account on Twitter.
Although he hadn’t been a frequent contributor on the platform — he posted fewer than 400 tweets since joining with his previous account, @jearnest44, in September 2011 — Earnest took over the new handle with aplomb, conducting a surprise #AskPressSec Q&A session on Wednesday afternoon.
He stuck mostly to softball questions, but here’s what we learned:
Earnest enjoys tacos:
.@jinxflingers I don't like tacos. I love 'em. Hard/soft shell. Beef/chicken/fish. Can't go wrong. #AskPressSec
— Josh Earnest (@PressSec) June 25, 2014
He’s a fan of baseball great George Brett:
.@joshlevyesq Easy. George Brett. Growing up, everyone in my Little League wanted to be Number 5. #AskPressSec
— Josh Earnest (@PressSec) June 25, 2014
Earnest once literally ran into LeBron James in a White House corridor:
.@ronaldo129 Several years ago, as I rushed around a corner in a random WH hallway, I literally bumped into @KingJames. #AskPressSec
— Josh Earnest (@PressSec) June 25, 2014
He has career advice for aspiring young press secretaries:
.@ejp5073 1) Hone your writing skills 2) Work for people you believe in 3) Be honest 4) Be a good colleague 5) Dream big #AskPressSec
— Josh Earnest (@PressSec) June 25, 2014
Of course, when brands or public figures prompt questions from the public on Twitter, things can go off track quickly. Remember the cancelled #AskJPM Q&A or #AskTheCommish with NFL boss Roger Goodell? Earnest’s session was no exception, with his new account on the receiving end of harsh criticisms of him and the president — some more family friendly than others.
.@PressSec - When will President Obama appoint a special prosecutor to investigate the #IRS scandal? #AskPressSec
— NRCC (@NRCC) June 25, 2014
Do subpoenas cause hard drive crashes or is it the other way around? #AskPressSec
— Patriot-Hard Drive (@Patriot_Musket) June 25, 2014
#AskPressSec How many veterans is a VA administrator allowed to kill before it counts against his Christmas bonus?
— David Burge (@iowahawkblog) June 25, 2014
