American Majority To Donald Trump: Stop Tweeting

Although social media and its many forms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter are perhaps the most commonly used mode of networking and communication with friends for most Americans, that doesn’t mean that all Americans view social media in a positive light all the time. Most feel that it can be misused and abused — particularly if you are in the public spotlight as the President of the United States, according to a recent poll by the Wall Street Journal. In fact, according to Forbes, a full 70 percent of Americans think that President Trump should lay off his Twitter account. The poll was conducted the second week in January, polling one thousand adults and has a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.

Nine percent of Americans strongly supported his use of Twitter, and 27 percent agreed it was a good way for the President to get his opinion out to the public in an expeditious manner. However, according to the poll, most Americans agree that “in an instant, messages can have unintended major implications without careful review,” according to Forbes.

According to Time, Americans view his tweeting even more unfavorably now than they did in December, when just 49 percent polled thought that he “tweeted too much.” Thoughts on his tweeting are not partisan; a full half of Republicans think he needs to get rid of his Twitter account. Although some praise his ability to use Twitter to disseminate news quickly about policy enactments, many acknowledge that his tweets have often been inappropriate and portray him in a bad light. In fact, they even have a name — “Trump Tweets” — and some news outlets have begun to publish stories that begin with “Today in Trump Tweets.” His tweets have frequently been used to criticize individuals, from former President Obama to actress Kristen Stewart. According to NJ.com, he has even tweeted a picture of himself eating a taco bowl and included “I love Hispanics!” in the tweet.

President Trump has been asked about his use of Twitter by many reporters, which he staunchly defends. When interviewed by 60 Minutes, he said it was one of the best ways to communicate to people.

“It’s nothing you should be ashamed of. It’s where it’s at!”

The President does not, however, keep his tweeting strictly to policy and current presidential affairs. He’s taken shots at Megyn Kelly, a news anchor, and Kristen Stewart, opining that Robert Pattinson should not take her back. His most recent gaffe, according to some, occurred yesterday when he slammed Nordstrom for dropping his daughter’s clothing line, according to the LA Times.

Nordstrom has said the decision to remove Ivanka Trump’s clothing line was strictly business-oriented, but President Trump took to Twitter, not just on his own account, but on the official Presidential account, to rebuke Nordstrom, and it was immediately retweeted six thousand times, and the number has grown exponentially in the past twenty-four hours.

“My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom. She is a great person — always pushing me to do the right thing! Terrible!”

With many people criticizing the use of the official presidential Twitter account to air personal family business, it’s likely that the public’s disdain for President Trump’s Twitter usage will continue to grow. His history of scathing tweets may be one of the reasons people are so uneasy. According to The Daily Wire, Donald Trump has criticized peoples’ looks, calling them unattractive, and questioning celebrity marriage choices, as he did on October 16, 2014, when he publicly rebuked singer Katy Perry.

“Katy, what the hell were you thinking when you married loser Russell Brand. There is a guy who has got nothing going, a waste!”

He is also quick to tweet political displeasure, as he did on February 7, which some say is deepening the divide between conservatives and liberals.

“It is a disgrace that my full Cabinet is still not in place, the longest such delay in the history of our country. Obstruction by Democrats!”

President Trump posts to Twitter multiple times a day about various topics. What are your thoughts about his use of Twitter?

[Feature Image by Alex Wong/Getty Images]