How to Email President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama displays a citizen's letter received in 2010.
... Joshua Roberts/Getty Images News/Getty Images

The U.S. president receives tens of thousands of communications per day from the public, including letters, emails and faxes. While the odds are that he won’t see your message, an email sent to the president may be among the 10 messages each day that the White House Office of Correspondence passes on directly to our nation's leader.

Open the email program in which you’ll write your message.

Begin with the salutation “Dear Mr. President:”

Introduce yourself in the first paragraph. For example, if you’re writing about a senior citizen’s issue, give your age, or the age of the person who inspired you to write. If you’re a teacher and writing about education, state your occupation and where you teach. If you’re writing about a housing issue and you’ve lost a home to foreclosure, include that fact.

State your message, question or comment succinctly. If appropriate to your message, state any action you would like to see taken by the president.

Re-read your message, checking for clarity, typos or grammatical errors. Your message is more likely to be taken seriously if it’s mistake-free.

Type your name at the bottom of the message. Note your city and state beneath your name.

Send your email to: “president@whitehouse.gov” when you’re sure the message is complete and error-free.

M.L. Rose has worked as a print and online journalist for more than 20 years. He has contributed to a variety of national and local publications, specializing in sports writing. Rose holds a B.A. in communications.

×