President-Elect Donald Trump has made a habit of using Twitter to make some questionable claims. However, our “Political Insiders” say he shouldn’t leave the social network once he takes office in January.
Since he won the election, Trump has tweeted about flag burning and voter fraud. He’s also picked a fight with a union leader who questioned his deal with Carrier to keep jobs from going to Mexico and the cast of the Broadway musical Hamilton.
58% of the Republicans and 53% of the Democrats who responded to our question this week said Trump should not stop using Twitter. However, 65% of our readers say he should stop tweeting once he occupies the White House.
However, judging by the anonymous comments, the motivations for wanting Trump to stay on Twitter are at odds. Republicans who favor him continuing to use Twitter say it’s an excellent way to get around the media, which is biased against Trump. Democrats want Trump to remain on Twitter so that he can continue to embarrass himself in public and possibly upset those who voted for him.
Selected anonymous comments:
“Heck no! It’s the greatest propaganda tool of our age!”
“The First Amendment still applies even when a person how’s poor judgment.”
“Twitter is the perfect platform for Trump. 140 characters are about all his brain can handle at one time.”
“Why would anyone in their right mind give up a free, direct, and instant communication channel with an audience of tens of millions and growing?”
“If the country is going to hell, at least we have Trump’s petulant tweets to amuse ourselves.”
“Combine Trump’s temper with his trigger finger and nothing good is going to come from his using Twitter. He needs to throw his phone in the Potomac.”
“Trump succeeds by keeping everything around him chaotic. Twitter is one way he does that.”
“Should an alcoholic quit drinking? Should a crack addict quit crack?”
“Todd Weiler should quit Twitter and challenge Donald Trump to do the same. Then, even if the president-elect declines to follow suit, at least Todd Weiler will have quit Twitter.”
“Absolutely not. He has shown it to be an effective way to communicate with the masses and speak directly to the people without the filter of the mainstream media.”
“President-Elect Trump has several image issues to overcome with many citizens. He needs to stop tweeting. For some reason, that doesn’t seem presidential to me. A president needs to be forthright and honest (at least, try to be if it is possible). However, spontaneous shots at people who may get under his skin is not a dignified stance for a President of the United States. Leave that stupidity to the Kardashians.”
“It’s nice to know what he really thinks, not just the filtered version that a White House press secretary would put out. In his case, forewarned is forearmed!”
“He’s redefining a broken political system with slanted media. He should continue as he was elected.”
“NO … it’s a unique connection he has with the people. He may want to consider changing his style and rhetoric to fit the image of our President. However, he has this connection and should continue it.”
“The Fourth Estate proudly abdicated its oversight role decades ago. During the last eight years, it has gone even further by incontrovertibly demonstrating is naked partisanship and sycophancy. Until it chooses to reform itself drastically, the president should take his message directly to the people…hyper-biased commentators no longer needed nor welcome.”
“It is time for him to step away from the game/reality show life of a “celebrity” and start seriously governing. I want the President to be focused on the job.”
“I’m repulsed by many of the things the President-elect said during the campaign. I’m NOT repulsed by the concept, shared by millions, that it is time to shake things up in Washington D.C. Tweeting gives him a way around the media, which has increasingly become part of the problem. He played the media like a violin during the campaign. His tweets since the election, while often cringe-worthy, are a breath of fresh air toward a transformative presidency. I would never have expected him to become the potential vehicle for dramatic change in the federal government that he has now become.”
“Does no one in his transition team have the guts or the power to take twitter away from Trump?”
“He shouldn’t quit, but definitely should filter himself a lot more.”
“I certainly don’t like everything he has tweeted, but it is nice and refreshing to get something totally unfiltered.”
“I have given up on believing anything Donald Trump says regardless of which platform he uses to say it. Anyone who blatantly denies saying what he has been recorded as saying–in front of large audiences–will lie any time it suits his purposes.”
“Trump should have respect for the office and start acting presidential.”
“Not now. I think it serves as constant reminder of his pettiness and shallowness. His own words are impossible to explain away. I don’t want any of us to forget who Trump really is behind a wall of whitewashed platitudes written by others.”
“We are witnessing a new dynamic in American politics-politicians communicating through very accessible technology. Initially, this is a scary thing. But it is a sign of a healthy democracy that an elected leader is willing to share his thoughts on a regular basis.”
“It is a good way for him to get his message out without it being twisted and manipulated by the news media. How else can he let people know what he thinks and says? The media has proven it will not accurately pass on his comments and actions and continues to attribute meanings that are different than what any reasonable person who had first-hand access would give, knowing the context in which they are given.”
“FOR THE LOVE OF GOD PLEASE SHUT IT DOWN!”
“I think being on Twitter feeds Trump’s image of being a maverick, but he is going to cause an international incident if he continues- only a matter of time. I realize he has done that with Taiwan and China with a phone call, but so far no one has been hurt. That should stand as a warning. Take away his phone access too. Doesn’t he have ‘people’ for that?”
“He’s a dumb ass and needs to be focusing on other things. Love how Melania wants to stop online bullying and since Trump won he’s bullied the media, protesters, Hamilton, SNL, and now the Carrier Union Leader. He’s a bully.”
“With the press totally against him and so biased, that is the only way we can get the truth is from him personally through Twitter.”
“His tweets are too impulsive and careless. Whenever he feels criticized, he attacks back. His thin skin is going to get him into repeated trouble, and his tweets also tend to incite his base in reckless ways.”
“Being president requires discretion, and there is nothing discrete about Trump’s tweets.”
“He should be free to make statements and the people and press should be free to make judgments.”
“It is Gold for the comedians, and he needs to keep reminding those that voted for him why they should be ashamed.”
“He is making a fool of himself with his remarks. Twitter could be a useful tool if used with discretion, as President Obama has shown. Discretion is not something Trump has exhibited.”
