To Tweet or Not To Tweet? With Nearly 80 Million Followers, There is No Question

Social media has had a major impact on the way we all communicate. To have immediate access to millions of followers is a powerful weapon and no one has used or, in many opinions, abused the platform more than President Donald Trump. His Twitter account, @realDonaldTrump, has 79 million followers and since he assumed his position as the 45th President of the United States he has tweeted more than 17,000 messages to his growing number of followers. 

During his 2016 Presidential campaign he became aware that when he tweeted something, he not only caused a commotion but usually controlled the news cycle. So, being someone who lives to control the agenda, he kept on tweeting to a victory at the polls. 

From a public relations aspect, since the very beginning of his candidacy, Trump decided to throw the media etiquette manual out the window. Past presidents have always had a love/hate relationship with the White House Press Corps, because in doing their jobs, these reporters will, at times, need to ruffle some feathers. The White House media are NOT part of a publicity team geared at edifying the executive branch. They are supposed to ask the hard questions and deliver both sides of the story. Even though the media seems somewhat polarized, when delivering news, not opinion, every news organization at least tries to be fair. 

Unlike any his predecessors, instead of trying to peacefully co-exist with the media, armed with nearly 100 million social media followers, Trump decided to take a new and highly aggressive approach. He has consistently criticized, denigrated, and at times savagely insulted those in the Press Corps who have been critical of him or his administration. His potent social media presence is the major reason Trump feels he has the freedom to act in this manner. Like no president before him, he can bypass traditional media outlets and directly communicate with 79 million “followers” via Twitter whenever he wants to get something off his chest. 

Along with great power, comes great responsibility, right? Well, maybe not in this case. The following have been official tweets to the public from the President of the United States:

·      “I’ve never seen a thin person drinking a Diet Coke.”

·      “If Hillary Clinton can’t satisfy her husband, what makes her think she can satisfy  America?”

·      @arrianahuff (founder of Huffington Post) is unattractive both inside and out. I fully understand why her husband left her for a man. He made a good decision.

·      Just watched Mike Wallace wannabe, Chris Wallace, on @FoxNews. I am now convinced that he is even worse than Sleepy Eyes Chuck Todd of Meet the Press (please!), or the people over at Deface the Nation. What the hell is happening to @FoxNews. It’s a whole new ballgame over there!

And just recently

·      “When the looting starts, the shooting starts!

·      “Buffalo protester shoved by police could be an ANTIFA provocateur … I watched; he fell harder than he was pushed ….could be a setup?”

The last tweet took place on the day George Floyd was buried in Houston. No mention of the victim who died due to police abuse or the widespread peaceful demonstrations demanding reform that was sweeping the country. His debunked conspiracy theory tweet was about a 75-year-old nonviolent protester named, Martin Gugino,  who, according to the Buffalo News, is a member of the People United for Sustainable Housing in Buffalo and part of the anti-nuclear group Kings Bay Plowshares. By all accounts, he is a peaceful man with deep convictions and beliefs.

How these communique are received all seems to depend on which side of the partisan channel you stand on. The left thinks they are outrageous, fact-checked nonsense, inappropriate, often rude, and certainly lacking the decorum of a head of state. The right thinks they are honest, unabashed, and display the emboldened thoughts of the President.  

I do believe both sides would rather he put an end to these offensive and often random comments. Here are a few reasons:

·      TMI (too much information)! Even though we are witnessing the actual random thoughts of one of the most powerful people in the world, I sincerely believe no one really cares how our President feels about the Robert Pattinson/Kristen Stewart break up (really happened)! 

·      Shouldn’t we refrain from discussing foreign affairs on Twitter?  China, Russia, Iran, North Korea and Turkey are all listening, is that OK with you, the National Security Council, the State Department and the Department of Defense?

·      President Trump, please, let’s take a Twitter sabbatical from Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. You are now the President!  Way back in 2016, you pulled off a major upset and won! People voted you in and Hillary out and President Obama is off kite surfing with Richard Branson on the beach of one of his islands. I’m sure he has other things on his mind, like how to keep his hair from going totally gray. You are paying a lot more attention to both of them than they are of you. 

·      These Twitter comments will be preserved in history books  Are you comfortable in leaving a legacy that consists of a series of insulting and antagonistic feelings towards others? Let’s turn that frown upside down! Devote your future twitter feeds to uplifting, positive thoughts that will give the American people optimism and hope! Be that ray of sunshine during these dark days. 

·      Social media can be explosive even on a personal level. When you post something, what you post and what you don’t post can all be misinterpreted.  It’s been my experience that using this platform to put forth a negative agenda ALWAYS backfires. 

If you’re wondering, yes, Trump does have Twitter assistance.  Daniel Scavino serves as the White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications and Director of Social Media.  He previously worked as the general manager of Trump National Golf Club Westchester. Then Scavino successfully passed “The Apprentice” audition for what has become the most active job on Trump’s staff by successfully serving as the director of social media for the Donald Trump 2016 presidential campaign. On his Twitter home page, he states “Worked on a campaign that was given no chance to win, while being spied on by a previous admin who weaponized their federal govt, to take us down. WE WON.” Dan, "YOU’RE HIRED!!!" Scavino has become the Field Marshall in General Trumps Twitter Force.  

Being a former politician and journalist, I know how the public comprehends the information they are receiving is what matters; facts are unimportant or, in the very least, muddled if there are contrary perceptions. To use a clever homonym here, Trump’s trump card in his run for re-election has always been the economy. Many were willing to overlook countless tweets that were tactless, showed attitudinal shortcomings, and displayed a quick, severe temper because of the perceptions that he was responsible for stocks being up, unemployment spiraling down, and the overall economy performing at high levels.  Over drinks, a retired CEO friend of mine, who has no financial worries, told me, “For me, I don’t care what he says, I probably wouldn’t go out and have drinks with him, all I care about are (financial) results.”

Trump may very well lose this upcoming election not entirely because voters believe Biden is a better candidate, but because of the Coronavirus; its US death toll of more than 130,000 victims and an adjusted 20% unemployment rate and Trump’s blunders in dealing with racial unrest throughout the country.

What happens on election day in November all depends on the mindset of the voter. Through his tweets, Trump has allowed the American electorate to view his inner psyche. All of his thoughts, musings, fears are there for the world to see in less than 280 characters an entry. His social media exposure has led voters to form opposing camps. They either believe that he is brutally honest or disturbingly neurotic.  The approach we now take, as we determine what our new, more open post-pandemic life looks like, is clear. 

As in most Presidential elections, this year we are left with two distinct choices; an incumbent who has become controversial in his unorthodox approach to governance and a well-known contender, with a more progressive agenda and an established history that offers a different leadership style.  Both candidates are hanging on to their original mantra’s; “Make America Great Again,” for Trump and “We’re in this to Preserve the Soul of Our Country,” for Biden. 

Regardless of how you decide to vote in November, one thing is for certain, the pandemic and the national outrage over the video death of George Floyd under the knee of a Minneapolis police officer have sent both campaigns into a tailspin.  Now it is all about who can restore order and justice to our streets and institutions and hasten the creation and distribution of a Covid19 vaccine. Oh yes, after we take care of disease and social unrest, then we need to get the economy running on all cylinders again. 

A memorable experience for me occurred when I was a TV reporter in St. Louis. I always seemed to be teamed up with a videographer, who, in his youth, spent time in a monastery, with the intention of eventually being a cloistered monk.  His weakness for redheads was a major obstacle in his pursuit of an ecclesiastical career, but every assignment I went out on with Walt eventually turned into a philosophical tutorial. TV reporters and cameramen share a special bond. We spent most of the day in the car together traveling from news events to news events, so we had a great deal of time to share our thoughts.  One piece of wisdom Walt imparted has stayed with me through the years.  “In everyone’s perspective, there are two types of people in life, just two,” he said. “The first one is a person who is empathetic, kind, upbeat, and helps you through the day, they act as positive influences, making your day a happy journey. The other type makes you sad, they are mean-spirited, show anger, and malevolence. These are the people who cause you angst and are emotionally hurtful. They act as negative obstacles to your day.” Then he concluded by saying, “the question you need to pose to yourself every day is, which type of person do I chose to be?”

Politically, the public perceptions formed by those serving the public, as they provide direction for our recovery, will determine the type of leader they are. It doesn’t matter how awesome they think they are, it’s the public impression they leave that matters.  At this time in history, we face the enormity of deep-seated social issues and the communal and economic recoveries from a deadly pandemic. This IS a time when government, on all levels, matters. This will be the most important Presidential election in our lifetime!  Our leaders will play major roles in how we determine which path our society will take. Later this year we get to chose what type of person we want to lead us down that path.