Selfie With Obama As Biden Joins Instagram

Joe Biden has snapped a selfie with President Barack Obama to launch the vice president's new Instagram account.

"Found a friend to join my first selfie on Instagram. Thanks for following and stay tuned. -VP," Mr Biden said.

The shot shows the two smiling from the back of what appears to be a presidential limousine.

Mr Biden's account explains that instagrams from the vice president, rather than his office, are signed "-vp".

The White House said Mr Biden's Instagram presence is part of an effort to "give followers a unique look inside the Vice Presidency" and "connect with citizens online".

He already has a profile on Twitter .

Mr Obama has run into some selfie-related controversy in recent months.

In December, the US president, David Cameron and Danish Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt posed for a selfie during the memorial service for Nelson Mandela - drawing criticism that it was inappropriate behaviour given the circumstances.

More recently, the White House protested after a photo featuring Red Sox player David Ortiz and the president was used in an advertisement.

The complaint raised speculation that the White House would ban selfies with the president altogether, but a spokesman later denied this.