Presidents using social media, specifically Twitter, is a fairly new concept. The first U.S President to do so was former President Barack Obama. Early May 2015 saw the first account on Twitter dedicated to the U.S President. Since then, not only the U.S President has used Twitter, but Presidential candidates and elected officials have been using Twitter, including other country’s leaders, like Mexico’s former President, Vicente Fox Quesada.
Should the U.S President, Donald Trump, or any elected officials even be using Twitter? President Trump tweets extremely often. A lot of people question his use of Twitter, as he often tweets contradictory messages and what some people see as offensive tweets.
However, President Trump also tweets about the things he is working on, recently homeland security and court decisions on immigration. In a sort of way, he is informally keeping citizens informed about the governmental issues and decisions.
He could definitely do a better job, though. Many of his tweets are less informational and more attack-like. Barack Obama did a generally good job at keeping his tweets informational, as he tweeted a lot of helpful information on healthcare and climate change.
Obama also often asked for feedback on Twitter, most recently on ideas for his foundation.
President Trump does not ask for feedback. He only gives his opinions. The closest we got to having Trump hear our voices was when former Mexican President, Vicente Fox Quesada, ran a Twitter poll asking American citizens what they would rather pay for than a wall. That, or replying to Trump’s tweets.
It feels, sometimes, as though President Trump spends too much time on Twitter tweeting his thoughts than taking care of actual governmental business. Trump spends more time on Twitter than he does formally addressing the country via speeches. Although, tweets are rawer and may show more truth than a carefully planned out Presidential speech.
Should the President be using Twitter so much? No, probably not so often and so informally. But, should Trump and future U.S Presidents use twitter regardless? Of course! Technology is always changing, and Twitter can help the citizens feel closer to our elected leader. If the past Presidents adapted to the telegraph, our future Presidents should adapt to social media.
Viewpoints Editor
Jill Augustine