Donald Trump apparently saw something in the news this morning about his use of social media, prompting the president to defend his odd online missives:
“Only the Fake News Media and Trump enemies want me to stop using Social Media (110 million people). Only way for me to get the truth out!”
For now, let’s put aside the amusing idea that what Trump is publishing reflects “the truth.” A variety of words come to mind that describe the president’s online output, but “the truth” aren’t among them.
More important is the idea that Trump believes the media and his critics want him to stop publishing his poorly written thoughts. This, of course, isn’t even close to being true.
Media professionals tend to rely on presidential tweets, not only for provocative coverage of the White House, but also as a peek into Trump’s thinking on a variety of subjects. For good or ill, the president often makes news when he pops off online.
Trump’s detractors, meanwhile, often welcome Trump’s tweets because they destabilize his White House, distract from the message the West Wing wants to promote, and cause all kinds of trouble for the president.
So who does want Trump to curtail his online tantrums? That’d be the president’s allies. Congressional Republicans, for example, have made no secret of their desperate desire to see Trump scale back his social-media habits. The public at large is thinking along the same lines. Few voters approve of President Trump’s tweeting, and most agree it’s making his job harder. Seventy-one percent say the president’s tweets are hurting his agenda, according to the latest Fox News Poll. Just 17 percent see the tweets as helpful. […] Among Republicans, 21 percent approve [of the president’s tweeting], while 59 percent would like Trump to be more careful with his tweets and 18 percent disapprove. The only people who’d be disappointed if Trump closed his Twitter account are people who work in media. The president’s so confused, he’s managed to get this entire dynamic backwards.
Steve Benen is a producer for "The Rachel Maddow Show," the editor of MaddowBlog and an MS NOW political contributor. He's also the bestselling author of "Ministry of Truth: Democracy, Reality, and the Republicans' War on the Recent Past." Recommended
