FDR had the radio. JFK had TV. Trump has Twitter. The President rode to the office of the presidency on a 140-character soapbox (now 280) and has since turned it into the ultimate presidential bully pulpit. In the past, he singled out individuals as “weak” and “insecure,” in addition to a barrage of personalized insults; most recently, he called Congresswoman Maxine Waters “an extraordinarily low IQ person.” Sometimes, those tweets also undermine his own administration, such as when he announced a transgender military ban before the policy was implemented. And although Trump’s unorthodox stream of consciousness may generate headlines and galvanize his base, it has also raised concerns among national-security officials. That could be why a majority of respondents to an Economist/YouGov poll said Trump’s Twitter style is inappropriate. In November, one former contract employee working for Twitter appeared to be so fed up by Trump’s online presence that he suspended the President’s account on his last day of work, though he now asserts the 11-minute period where people couldn’t access @realDonaldTrump’s Twitter feed was a “mistake.” —Abby Vesoulis
