In the past century communications technology has advanced dramatically into new territory. American presidents have made use of these new tools to reach out to the people: Roosevelt’s voice soothed us during the great Depression over fireside chats on the radio, and Kennedy’s smile beamed into American living rooms from newly minted televisions, and Donald Trump is pioneering Twitter as his main mode of communication with the American public. Donald Trump has taken hold of a campaign tool that is typically delegated out to an intern and used it for direct contact with his fans and to voice his personal opinions. Trump is our first president to favor communication via social media over traditional press conferences. Is this the dawn of a new era? If Twitter becomes a legitimate political communications platform under president Trump, what are its limitations and what are its merits?


With the pioneering of any movement, there are learning curves and precedents to set. So far Trump has established a dangerous one: picking fights with national and world leaders; attacking individuals and businesses that speak out against him; and general bad behavior, can go without punishment. Is it because Twitter is still being established as a legitimate communication platform for politicians or because the multitude of offenses are too overwhelming to process? This is the first time we must confront controversy that’s stirred up by a presidential twitter account. New laws have to be written to decide how future presidents can interact with the platform and they have to be written quickly. . If one of Donald Trump’s tweets were found out to be insider trading, treason, or any other crimes could it be grounds for impeachment?

 President Trump is already being confronted with accusations of hate speech, inciting an international conflict with Mexico’s President Vicente Fox, and violating insider trading laws. On December 12th, Trump tweeted about Lockheed Martin’s “out of control” costs of the F-35 fighter jet, causing the value of the stock to plummet four billion dollars in a single day. If a single tweet can have a four billion dollar impact on the stock market in a matter of hours, a coordinated social media campaign has the potential to drive a company’s stock prices into the ground. Nobody should have all that power and a corporation that finds itself lacking Trump’s favor shouldn’t fear financial ruin at the hand of a targeted tweet.

 America’s relationship with Mexico is at risk from Trump’s hostile attitude towards immigrants and his declaration to repeal the North American Free Trade Agreement. To make the diplomatic issue even worse, the president tweeted that Mexico was sending “drugs and rapists” across the border into America and that he would force our neighbors to pay for the border wall he plans on constructing during his first term. If Twitter is to become the new broadcasting norm, it needs to be handled with care. It’s too easy to publish an unrefined thought without weighing out how people will react and what the consequences are. An intern easily can be fired for an offending tweet, the president cannot. 


 If handled correctly, Twitter has a potential to become a great equalizer and change political culture for a couple of reasons. The online social networking service has given people direct access to government representatives, allowing them to voice their concerns on a platform that demands a real-time response, rather than receiving an automated response from a busy legislator. This could change millennials disillusionment with politicians, the biggest complaint being that they are inaccessible to common people. The use of hashtags, or labels that are attached to tweets that make it easy for users to find content with a specific theme, can also be a valuable instrument in increasing political engagement. When a hashtag gains sudden popularity it “trends” on twitter, helping it gain visibility. This feature can draw attention to important issues that could otherwise be overlooked and gives supporters a way to connect and build a community. The Flint water crisis, Black Lives Matter, and the Keystone Pipeline protests have all been extensively covered on the platform and garnered support for their agendas.


With Trump’s tweets, he expresses himself in a very informal, impersonal way. It’s a first in the nation. Previous presidents have communicated with the public in formal, more serious, and more thoughtful ways. A one hundred forty character limit doesn’t lend the hand of formality that is The idea being that they represent and respect the gravity of the position of President of the United States, how it’s a cornerstone in our representative government. Trump’s careless communication style doesn’t show the proper respect to the job. Trump doesn’t tweet for America, he tweets for himself. He has an autocratic writing style that does not take anyone else’s opinions, concerns, or well-being into consideration.

Donald Trump’s tweets have characteristically strong emotional overtones. As the leader of the free world, any statements made by the President of the United States are taken seriously. It’s too easy to fire off a tweet without thinking first about the consequences of those words or the facets of a situation. No man is an island, President trump included. His words reflect on us all, crediting and discrediting the People of The United States with an errant tweet.

American President’s take to new technology to broadcast their messages to citizens. We’re in the midst of observing a shift from print media to social media as the popular modicum of communication. President Donald Trump has the potential to normalize Twitter as the new choice of political communication. With this switch, we need to adapt laws and culture to accommodate the change. 