Obama tweets for the first time

President Barack Obama personally used the microblogging service Twitter on Monday for the first time.

During a visit to the D.C. offices for the American Red Cross, Obama used the relief organization's page to tweet for the first time.

Obama tweeted:

President Obama and the First Lady are here visiting our disaster operation center right now.

The Red Cross followed up with another tweet explaining the previous one:

President Obama pushed the button on the last tweet. It was his first ever tweet!

While both the White House and the president's campaign both have Twitter accounts (with extensive lists of followers, no less), those accounts are managed and written by staff -- something the president has in common with a majority of political officials who are on Twitter.

Obama remarked on the occasion, according to several reporters who are Twitter who witnessed the act.

“I just tweeted. The first time I tweeted," Obama said, noting as well that the Red Cross had raised $21 million through Twitter to send toward relief in earthquake-stricken Haiti. 

Cross-posted to the Briefing Room.