Tweeting his way to infamy: Donald Trump on twitter
President Donald Trump is notorious for sharing any and every thought that pops into his head on Twitter. Whether it’s the infamous “Covfefe” confusion or the constant bickering and bomb threats to North Korea, Trump’s twitter is undoubtedly a worldwide spectacle. These tweets are usually extremely unsolicited and leave the American public wondering what is really going on inside our president’s head.
Recently, the severity of his twitter publicity ramped up when Trump acknowledged a tweet that depicted him hitting former Secretary of State and First Lady Hillary Clinton with a golf ball. This is incredibly unintelligent and laughable blow at Clinton didn’t cease to gain hoards of attention and become a highly debated topic on the social media platform, as violence towards women is never something to be made a joke of.
As an American citizen, I am always highly embarrassed that the leader of our country participates in such ludicrous antics. At this point, Trump’s social media content is more comparable to that of a teenager than that of a national leader. When put side by side with Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau’s Twitter, it is easy to see who uses their platform to communicate with citizens and spark real change, and who uses it to goof off and insert their opinions where they don’t belong (hint: Trudeau uses Twitter right).
At this point, Trump’s outbursts are far from isolated incidents– the President can be seen tweeting new content almost every day. When I read Trump’s tweets, I like to pretend that they are a satire and am always disappointed when I snap back into reality and realize that no, these are the real thoughts of the president that we are all trusting with our lives and well being.
“Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q. is one of the highest- and you all know it! Please don’t feel so stupid or insecure,it’s not your fault,” Trump tweeted in May of 2013. While slightly outdated, this tweet brings to light the President’s weird obsession with having a high IQ. “I’m speaking with myself, number one, because I have a very good brain and I’ve said a lot of things. … I know what I’m doing and I listen to a lot of people, I talk to a lot of people and at the appropriate time I’ll tell you who the people are,” Trump said. “But I speak to a lot of people. My primary consultant is myself, and I have, you know, I have a good instinct for this stuff,” Trump bragged on Morning Joe on MSNBC. He is so infatuated with his own smarts that it gained the attention of the White House back in July, sparking the creation of a petition the required Trump to take the MENSA IQ test while in office. Sadly, this petition did not get enough signatures.
“Healthy young child goes to doctor, gets pumped with massive shot of many vaccines, doesn’t feel good and changes – AUTISM. Many such cases!” Trump tweeted in March of 2014. This one is nothing short of memorable… and foolish. Almost as bad as, “Windmills are the greatest threat in the US to both bald and golden eagles. Media claims fictional ‘global warming’ is worse,” Trump tweeted in September of 2014. The President’s denial of global warming is nothing short of an outrage. Climate change is one of the biggest threats to the world, ramping up now more than ever with the multitude of hurricanes and tropical storms strengthened by the one-degree temperature increase in the ocean. But at least he cares about the eagles, right?
Oh, and how could I forget how incredibly invested President Trump is in pop culture. “Robert Pattinson should not take back Kristen Stewart. She cheated on him like a dog & will do it again–just watch. He can do much better!” Trump tweeted in 2012. “Lots of response to my Pattinson/Kristen Stewart reunion. She will cheat again–100 certain–am I ever wrong?” This nonsense only adds to the sexist themes of Trump’s Presidency. Comparing Kristen Stewart to a dog and telling Robert Pattinson he could do better… these just should not be the concerns of a “highly successful businessman” and of a president to be.
All in all, President Trump’s twitter is nothing short of a letdown. As an American citizen, I am disappointed that Trump would use his platform to spread hate and nonsense rather than to help. For example, he could have spoken out against the hurricanes and spread information for how the American people could help those affected, but instead, he is busy tweeting about football and his opinions. I see room for some serious improvement here, but is it going to happen? Probably not.