Early signs are that the ploy seems to be working. Tara McGuinness, a Whitehouse communications advisor tweeted that FunnyorDie.com, the site which hosted the video, “is the #1 source of referrals to HealthCare.gov right now”. And the official Twitter account of Healthcare.gov – the site where people can enrol for insurance – has said it received almost a million visits on Tuesday, up 40% from the previous day. The decision to make the appearance will have been carefully weighed up by Obama’s team, and “rooted in data which proves that these things work”, according Alec Ross, a former digital advisor to Hillary Clinton.