I read an article today in the WSJ about Trump supporters who are on the fence about him now. The article cited two different supporters who expressed concern about Trump’s tweeting. That struck me as odd. That‘s the thing that gives these Trump supporters pause? Also, it didn’t ring true to me, especially since in a recent conversation with one of my sisters she mentioned a few times that Trump’s tweeting is the thing she likes most about him. She feels it’s his end-run around the media and she loves it! It doesn’t get less fake–or more real–than @realDonaldTrump! So my “agenda alert” went off.
Are we being prepared for Trump to withdraw into the confines of the White House, loathe to give press conferences and now reining in the tweets? That’s what I thought at the end of the first article I read this morning. By the end of section A, two more articles–both opinion pieces–called attention to the damage done by Trump’s tweets. More agenda alerts! (Might have to start a hashtag after this!)
This is a bummer. First Trump says no more drain the swamp, then that we should build the wall on spec, now we may lose the twitter feed? I don’t think this administration is going to be nearly as fun as the campaign was š
Here are the articles–all from Section A of the January 19, 2017, Wall Street Journal.
Don’t let the first article’s title–and subtitle–fool you–almost the entire article is about Trump’s use of twitter.
Trump Voters Harbor Mixed Feelings Ahead of Inauguration
Evolving view of president-elect among ambivalent supporters could tip the balance of public opinion
…Ms. Forster, a 52-year-old attorney, voted for Mr. Trump mostly because she didnāt want Democrat Hillary Clinton to win. Now she is nervously watching as he prepares to enter the White House. She likes some of his cabinet picks, but isnāt pleased with his penchant for sending harsh tweets about everything from the U.S. intelligence community to actress Meryl Streep….
Despite complaints from supporters, Mr. Trump shows no sign of giving up his use of Twitter. In a weekend interview with the Times of London, Mr. Trump said, āthe tweeting, I thought Iād do less of it, but Iām covered so dishonestly by the press, so dishonestly, that I can put out [on] Twitterā a fast response that is viewed by millions….
As of now, voters generally are giving him the benefit of the doubt. Many are pleased with his cabinet picks, but are uneasy with his attacks on people and broad, often confusing, statements of policy that he circulates on Twitter…
āSo far I think heās doing a decent job,ā said Matt Triplett, 47, a Republican salesman in Dublin, Ohio. āBut I sure wish heād get off Twitter. The guy is a loose cannon. Iām going to sit back and be entertained by whatās going to be transpiring. But itās a little unnerving.ā
At least the following article by Karl Rove is honest about wanting Trump off twitter…
A Perfect Sign-Off for @RealDonaldTrump
Now that heās taking office, he should finally give up his Twitter account.
…Which brings us to Mr. Trumpās Twitter account. What voters tolerated during the campaign now seems inappropriate for a presidential transition and is likely to be thought unacceptable once Mr. Trump takes office. As a candidate, he could punch down at lesser figures and comment carelessly on foreign leaders. But if President Trump continues this in the Oval Office, he will lessen his stature, move markets, poison relationships, and encourage adversaries to make miscalculations.
On this, at least, Americans agree. Fifty-three percent say Mr. Trumpās actions since Election Day have made them āless confident in his ability to serve as president,ā according to a Jan. 15 poll by CNN and ORC. More than eight in 10 respondents in a Dec. 5 survey by the Pew Research Center said President Trump āwill need to be more cautious about the kinds of things he says and tweets.ā Only 15% said that āthere is no need for him to change.ā The message? End the compulsive tweeting and, especially, the Twitter wars.
This article by Daniel Henninger seems to take a shot at Trump’s twitter for the heck of it…
The Trump Question
Will his presidency produce a new order or merely more disorder?
People seem both amused and unnerved by Mr. Trumpās social-media compulsions. We know that social media disrupts. What else it does at the summit of political power is not clear. One wonders if the hard, daily work by his colleagues to restore world order or a proper constitutional relationship between governing elites and the governed will be hampered by the turbulence of the Twitter storms.
I don’t necessarily think Trump will announce he is shutting down his twitter account but I do believe this is foreshadowing something….#WTWOF #AgendaAlert
Reblogged this on .
The media know how many people such as your sister are out there, and they’re scared. Rightfully so.
Jerry Springer was pushing the tweet agenda on a radio chatshow last week saying it’s too easy to hack (he was also pushing the Russians hacked the election rhetoric) and what if someone hacks in and posts “Nuclear War started!?”
Jerry’s a jerk!
I went to a live taping of the Jerry Spring show when I lived in Chicago. He warmed the crowd up prior to the taping with 10 minutes of cheesy, dirty standup comedy. It was so bad that it was great given the context. So I guess it was an effective warm up for the show. Long story short; the short, stubby guy sitting next to me ended being provoked onto the stage, where he then proceeded to take off his clothes and swing around a stripper pole that erected up out of the floor board. He was egged on by audience chants of; “Get on the pole! Get on the pole! Get on the pole!” The audience was egged on by the stage producers. We had to arrive a few hours prior to the taping and wait to go inside. My friend and I were stuck waiting next to this dude in the waiting area the whole time. He was on and off the phone with his wife and friends, beaming with excitement. I told my friend that he was the type of guy who has been dreaming of the day that he gets scream obscenities at one of the shows guests when Jerry takes comments from the audience. I underestimated him.
I doubt he’ll ever stop tweeting. It’s part of his image and the masses prefer his message to be transmitted in 140 characters or less as opposed to through long winded speeches or press releases, and his advisors know this. The content of his tweets may be regulated from now on but I don’t think he’ll ever quit cold turkey