The White House Blog

2014 is coming to a close, and that means it's time to look back at the year on the White House Tumblr. 

How'd we do on Tumblr this year? We reached more than 217,000 followers. We took questions from the public, and took over the I Love Charts Tumblr to look at women's equality in the workplace. In June, the President even held his first-ever Tumblr Q&A from the White House State Dining Room, answering questions from Tumblr users on all things student loans and education.

We use Tumblr because we're always looking for new ways to engage with the American people, and one of the best -- and most fun -- ways we've found to engage on Tumblr itself is through making GIFs.

That's why, to recap our year on Tumblr, we tallied up the number of notes -- the Tumblr equivalent of "likes" -- on each of the GIFs we created in 2014. Here, in order, are the top 10 GIF moments on our Tumblr this year, decided by the Tumblr users themselves:

10. When the President issued "The Decree" on The Colbert Report.

From harvesting the White House Kitchen Garden to working to improve school nutrition, we had an exciting and fun 2014 at Let's Move! helping to get kids active and healthy. We even learned that the First Lady's favorite fall vegetable is a sweet potato. But what were some of our favorite moments from Let's Move! this year?

The First Lady launched Let’s Move! in 2010 to help kids and families lead healthier lives. That's why our favorite moments this year showed us how everyone has a role to play in reducing childhood obesity, from parents, elected officials, and schools to health care professionals, faith-based and community-based organizations, and private-sector companies. In no particular order, check them out below: 

President Barack Obama shakes hands with people in the crowd following his remarks on immigration reform at Chamizal National Memorial Park in El Paso, Texas. May 10, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Last month, President Obama took action to fix our broken immigration system, including commonsense steps that will help secure the border, bring undocumented immigrants out of the shadows, and make it easier for high-skilled immigrants and entrepreneurs to contribute to our economy.

Congress needs to pass comprehensive immigration reform to fully upgrade our immigration system, and the President has been clear he will continue to pursue bipartisan legislation to do that. But in the meantime, the President also issued a new directive for his Administration to continue to seek out ways to modernize and streamline our immigration system within existing authorities. This Presidential Memorandum directs the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to lead an effort across government, in consultation with stakeholders, to identify new actions that would:

• Streamline and improve the legal immigration system -- including visa processing -- with a focus on reforms that reduce government costs, improve services for applicants, reduce burdens on employers, and combat waste, fraud, and abuse in the system.
• Ensure that the government issues all of the immigrant visas that Congress provides for every year, consistent with demand.
• Modernize the information technology infrastructure underlying the visa processing system, with a goal of reducing redundant systems, improving the experience of applicants, and enabling better public and congressional oversight.

“For the sixth-consecutive year, I'm thrilled to share my annual Year in Photographs. Each photograph, taken either by me or a photographer on my staff, is accompanied by personal observations about the image. In some instances, there is an interesting backstory to the photograph, which I've included. Most of the moments captured can best be described as behind-the-scenes — that is, photographs taken away from the spotlight of public events. Some of the photographs are historic because of what is taking place, but others hopefully give people a more personal sense of who the President and First Lady are. Editing is a highly subjective — and for me — personal endeavor. I've included a mix of 'moments,' but also some photographs that rely more on graphics, lighting and composition. Some are serious and some are humorous. And of course, some are with babies (since the President loves babies). I hope you enjoy this year's album of photographs.”

In September 2009, the President announced that — for the first time in history — White House visitor records would be made available to the public on an ongoing basis. Today, the White House releases visitor records that were generated in September 2014. This release brings the total number of records made public by this White House to more than 4.18 million — all of which can be viewed in our Disclosures section.

"My new health insurance will allow me to get the medical help that I need to get stronger."

Tricia T. wrote the President to share the impact that the Affordable Care Act has made on her life.

A responsible end to the war in Afghanistan. A historic agreement to combat climate change. A strong pace of job growth that we haven't seen since the 1990s. 

Overall, 2014 has offered some great achievements for President Obama and the American people. Join the President's Chief of Staff Denis McDonough in taking a look back at this year's most memorable moments -- then share the memories with your friends and family. 

2014 is coming to a close, and, looking back, it’s certainly been a busy year for Vice President Joe Biden -- both online and off.

So this year, we thought we’d share some of our favorite digital moments with the Vice President from 2014. From starting an official Instagram account to posting his first White House selfie with President Obama, here in no particular order are 10 of the best moments from 2014 -- and, of course, stay tuned for more to come in the new year.

1. Being Biden: The Vice President meets a powerlifter.

"I cried the day I was finally able to sign up for coverage. I felt like a fifty-pound weight was lifted from my shoulders."