Barack Obama made an emotional plea to the American public and announced the launch of Obama.org in his final tweets from the official US President Twitter account

In a series of messages posted from the POTUS account before it is handed over to Donald Trump, he told his 13.7 million followers "I believe in you".

The outgoing US President said he would be “right there with you as a citizen, inspired by your voices of truth and justice, good humor, and love”.

In a farewell on Twitter, he wrote: “It's been the honor of my life to serve you. You made me a better leader and a better man.

“I won't stop; I'll be right there with you as a citizen, inspired by your voices of truth and justice, good humor, and love.

“I'm still asking you to believe - not in my ability to bring about change, but in yours. I believe in change because I believe in you.”

He also shared a link to the Obama Foundation, which will focus its work on community projects and "on developing the next generation of citizens — and what it means to be a good citizen in the 21st century”.

The POTUS account was set live on 18 May, 2015 and gained more than 217,000 followers in its first 45 minutes.

President Obama’s first tweet from the account read: “Hello, Twitter! It's Barack. Really! Six years in, they're finally giving me my own account.”

Obama leaves note for Trump as he exit Oval Office for last time