Trump Cuts Back On Twitter
President Donald Trump’s oft-debated Twitter postings have continued into the second month of his presidency, despite concerns from many about the potential hazards of his frequent social media habit. But Trump only tweeted twice Wednesday, a departure from the several he often posts each day.
In his first tweet Wednesday, Trump mentioned Rep. Keith Ellison of Minnesota, who is running for Democratic National Committee chair. “One thing I will say about Rep. Keith Ellison, in his fight to lead the DNC, is that he was the one who predicted early that I would win,” he wrote.
“Very much enjoyed my tour of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture…A great job done by amazing people!” the president wrote in his second tweet.
Trump is still tweeting from his personal account, @realDonaldTrump, where he has more than 25 million followers. During his campaign, Trump tweeted about 15 times per day, according to figures compiled by the Boston Globe. As president-elect, he tweeted an average of five times per day. In the past week, he’s tweeted an average of four times per day.
Trump has made it clear that he will continue to use Twitter as a way to directly speak to the people, but critics and supporters alike have voiced concern about his use of the medium. A January NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 69 percent of Americans thought Trump’s tweeting habit was “a bad thing.”
Former campaign staffers revealed they used strategic tactics to draw Trump away from Twitter, according to a Wednesday report by Politico. To keep his tweeting under control and avoid having him resort to tweeting, they would show him media coverage praising him.
“If candidate Trump was upset about unfair coverage, it was productive to show him that he was getting fair coverage from outlets that were persuadable,” Sam Nunberg, Trump’s former communications director, told Politico. “The same media that our base digests and prefers is going to be the base for his support. I would assume the president would like to see positive and preferential treatment from those outlets that would help the operation overall.”
Staffers also said Trump was far more likely to turn to Twitter when he felt something wasn’t getting adequate coverage.
“He saw there was activity, so he didn’t feel like he had to respond,” a former campaign official told Politico. “He sends out these tweets when he feels like people aren’t responding enough for him.”
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