How President Trump uses Twitter

[Michael Press]

An initial section of a Federalist article from 7 December 2016.
<http://thefederalist.com/2016/12/07/donald-trumps-constant-twitter-battle-media-brilliant-strategy/>

Does David Danford accurately describe the situation at the time?
If so, has the situation changed?

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Why Donald Trump’s Constant Twitter Battle With The Media
Is A Brilliant Strategy
By David Danford

Candidate Donald Trump was fun to watch, but President-Elect
Trump may be even more interesting. A friend that studies
communications agrees: in about 10 years, we’ll talk about the
near-constant media “elevator shot” and how Trump revolutionized
presidential communications with social media.

But for now, the political and pundit classes are still confused,
unable to break out of their cycle of hysterics and insults.
Meanwhile, Trump continues to change American politics.

Trump’s seemingly off-the-cuff and thoughtless tweets are no
small part of this fascinating display of political skill. With
140 characters or fewer, Trump plants seeds of thought necessary
to restore republican government.

Trump’s Tweets Keep Opponents Off-Balance

The most obvious tactical gain afforded by Trump’s tweets is that
he keeps his political opponents off-balance.

Hampered by bias and pride, politicians and pundits foment
another tired cycle of dismay with every passing comment. As
others have pointed out, they are hysterical. They are neither
willing or able to consider whether they may have been wrong
about Trump. The talking heads assume every new comment from
Trump is just a hateful, thoughtless tantrum by a man with tiny
hands and a pea brain.

What is more, Trump’s comments are like nails on a
chalkboard—--they screech against the previously dominant
political speech codes. The media used to control the message.
Now, they do not. Trump’s words drive the media insane because he
says them on Twitter, and because his words are so foreign to
their liberal sensibilities.

Trump Maintains Control of the Fight

One might understand this best in terms of John Boyd’s famous
OODA Loop. Used by military tacticians, the Observe, Orient,
Decide, and Act loop describes the cycle in which opponents
operate during a fight. Whoever can cycle more quickly gains the
initiative and controls the fight. Whoever cycles more slowly
remains off-balance, constantly having to re-observe and
re-orient to circumstances dictated by the enemy.

The media cycles more slowly. Trump retains initiative by
constantly feeding their hysteria and confusion with a steady
diet of controversial tweets. Each new tweet grabs their
attention and they restart the process. Like clockwork, every 24
to 48 hours, just as the hysteria is winding down, Trump releases
a new comment to spool the media back up. And all the while Trump
is moving on.

With their heads spinning, Trump’s opponents cannot see what they
themselves are doing. The media cannot avoid talking about Trump
all of the time, and each tweet drives a wedge between them and
the American people.

Trump Tweets What Many Americans Think

Instead of considering Trump’s words and sentiment, pundits and
politicians delight in what they see as his stupidity and
rashness. They heap scorn on his foolish ideas. As others at the
Federalist have argued, the media cannot hide its “condescension
and unnecessary bias.” The problem for them? Trump’s ideas are
shared by millions, if not most, of Americans.

For instance, when Trump remarked that millions of people likely
voted illegally in the election, the media scolded him. They said
his comments “had no basis in reality” and were “baseless,” as if
people care about proof in a tweet.

Shockingly, “fact-checking” Trump’s claim failed to uncover the
clip of President Obama appearing to assure illegal immigrants
that they are safe to vote because ICE would not be able to find
them if they did. Desperate to protect the Democratic voting bloc
and tactics, the left has determined that everyone should agree
there is no need for voter ID laws. But 4 out of 5 people
disagree, indicating that people actually think it is too easy to
vote illegally. Whether or not there is hard evidence that people
voted illegally in this election, Trump’s comments are not
unreasonable to most Americans.

In another instance, Trump said people should not be able to burn
the flag without facing consequences. The pundits were shocked
and the political class almost called for revolution. In this
case they recognized what most Americans agree, but still could
not help but scorn on the idea. They said it was nothing but a
bone thrown to Trump’s racist, stupid base.

Trump’s Tweets Condemn the Ruling Class

Charles Krauthammer, at least, is starting to get it. Each time
members of the press react (and they cannot help themselves) they
show how disconnected they are from almost 75 percent of
Americans.

Largely through social media, Trump is setting the terms of the
debate. He’s playing the opposing side like a fiddle. The pundit
and political class are unable to make their own arguments, and
with every new story, they show how detached they are from normal
Americans.

The most important aspect of Trump’s tweets, however, is the most
subtle. With every passing comment, Trump hints at the
conversation that must be had to restore government of the
people, by the people, and for the people.

By keeping his opponents off balance, Trump prompts his opponents
to drive a wedge between themselves and the American people. And
what better way is there to do this than to get the ruling class
to make contrary arguments while looking smug, condescending, and
opposing the common sentiment of the American people?


[...]

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Michael Press