White House ‘Rickrolls’ Twitter followers

In the midst of a stalemate in talks surrounding the raising of the US debt ceiling, tensions are high in Washington. The White House is, however, keeping a sense of humour.

Along with other US politicos, the White House has taken to Twitter to spread its message on the debt talks.

White House officials were replying to questions on Twitter when a Tennessee man named David Wiggs, who describes himself as an “Energy tech enthusiast and mediocre golfer” in his Twitter bio, made a complaint about the daily White House Press briefings.

The White House quickly fired off a reply.

The link is to a video by pop star Rick Astley singing his 1987 chart-topper “Never Gonna Give You Up.”

This is known as “Rickrolling”, an iconic meme dating back to 2007.

RickRolling is a case of bait and switch. A link is posted with an interesting topic; when the link is clicked on, however, it directs the viewer to the smash hit.

The response from other Twitter followers of the White House was positive.

The reply from Wiggs reads simply:

AFP with additional reporting by Staff Reporter