President Donald Trump has become America’s most notorious leader in terms of his internet presence. Specifically, the regular Twitter tirades and triumphs we’ve become accustomed to during his term. I promise this isn’t fake news; White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer announced Tuesday, all @POTUS tweets are official statements.
“The President is the President of the United States, so [Trump’s Tweets are] considered official statements by the President of the United States,” said Spicer.
Although many would relish holding Trump accountable for his digital communication methods, can Trump be expected to maintain a professional atmosphere on Twitter? Twitter, the social-media king of self-expression. If you’re thinking Trump is entitled to assertions on his personal account at the least, you would be wrong.
The ACLU stated in classic Trump fashion on Twitter, they would incorporate Trump’s tweets from his personal @realDonaldTrump handle in an ongoing attempt to defend lower court rulings blocking the travel ban.
Just to summarize, all of President Trump’s Tweets are official statements, including those from his personal account @realDonaldTrump. Between this and the infamous handle @POTUS, passed to President Trump on inauguration day along with 13 million followers, the leader of the free world is happy to broadcast whatever he sees fit to the masses.
Over the last 140+ days, Trump has leveraged the social platform to reinforce policies, make public announcements, and even offer nonsensical advice for the betterment of the USA (covfefe.)
Let’s take a look at some statements, updates, and alternative facts
A recent tweet on Friday would suggest Trump is blurring the lines between the separation of church and state. This tweet, expressing that “In America… We worship God.” Poor grammar aside, I assume the majority of Americans (religious or not) can determine this to be a fallacy of composition.
Another instance that drew plenty of attention; the president partially quoted the Mayor of London Sadiq Khan following the terror attacks on and near the London bridge on Monday.
Most of the controversy in Trump’s tweets will derive from his @realDonaldTrump account. Trump actually has blocked a number of users who have criticized or mocked him on the platform. He is now receiving legal warnings to reverse these actions under the pretense that it is a violation of the First Amendment.
My last example is this ongoing online Twitter boxing match between the ACLU and America’s leader.
From here, it is unclear how the government — specifically, congress — might hold the president accountable for these online communications. Whatever the future may hold, more followers are flocking to @potus and@realDonaldTrump to keep up with... Trump's perspective?
But, as a final thought, I encourage you to look at The New York Times' fantastic article on the positive sides of Trump’s continual brain dump tweeting. Definitely worth the read.
