More Tweets, Not Less

The public is mostly Twitter averse to Donald Trump’s daily barrage of tweets. Polls repeatedly show upwards of 60 percent of the public thinks President Trump should contain his Twitter habit.

ABC News poll of July 18, 2017 reported that 68 percent of respondents described the President’s tweets “inappropriate,” 65 percent “insulting,” and 52 percent “dangerous.” Women are more critical with 78 percent citing his tweets as “inappropriate.” A Fox News poll reported in late June that 71 percent of the public believed the tweets were hurting the President’s agenda.

Trump’s rationale for ignoring the advice has been that it allows him to communicate directly to his followers around the “Fake News” and in a modern fashion.

President Trump

But his latest tweets are well beyond trying to avoid “Fake News” and talk directly to followers. In fact, he’s not avoiding the press, but giving long, unscripted interviews to the New York Times and Wall Street Journal, clearly “Fake News” outlets in his view.

Rather, his latest tweets are direct public communication to berate a cabinet officer and to issue official government policy using the White House’s staff to project a type of “policy speak.” In his latest tweet on transgender and the military, he said: “After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military.” “Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you.”

Notice it opened with “my Generals” and closed with “Thank you” not often seen in government official language, but close enough.

The public is divided as to if his tweets are official government policy or just presidential musings. Clearly, they are becoming more official. Also, expect more tweets as Trump attempts to run the government from his office, bedroom, etc. as basically a one-person show.