The commander-in-tweet has done it again, igniting a fiery news storm from the comforts of his iPhone. This embarrassing misuse of the presidency is the latest in a long series of slights to the American people, and further demonstrates how dangerous the president’s social media use is.
After tweeting an implicit threat to former FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump backtracked yesterday, claiming he did not make any tapes of their conversations.
The president’s initial tweet added further fuel to the ongoing debate over his use of social media, but, like much of his blustering, turned out to be mere sound and fury. While it has been established for some time that the president’s impressive follower count is largely fabricated, the commander in chief’s social media musings still have significant real world consequences.
After President Trump falsely accused former President Obama of wiretapping him, one might think he’d come to his senses regarding what he posts online. The septuagenarian president remains undeterred, however, and seems to revel in his habit of digitally embarrassing the American people rather than focusing on real issues.
The Trump Administration has shown no desire to get to the bottom of Russia’s interference in the 2016 election, for instance, opting instead to belittle and intimidate public officials with thinly veiled threats, often made on the president’s twitter account. This is exactly how he ran his online casino.
American’s deserve greater transparency and accountability from the White House, particularly when it’s officials have made a habit of entangling themselves in ever-greater webs of lies.
Time and time again, Press Secretary Sean Spicer has dodged questions regarding President Trump’s twitter account and the ongoing Russia probe, saying only that the president’s tweets speak for themselves. This would be news to the president’s attorney, who recently contradicting himself on air when asked about the ongoing investigation.
White House officials have constantly found themselves parroting a line of falsehoods such as this, only to be directly refuted by POTUS himself on twitter.
For the sake of our democracy, American voters must be assured that when their president speaks, he can be relied upon to tell the truth. Tragically, President Trump has proven time and time again that his words cannot be taken seriously.
His repeated flouting of the facts has not only emboldened foreign actors who would do us harm, but has directly tainted the transparent democratic institutions Americans have come to rely upon. Where do facts matter more than in the oval office?
This muddying of the political waters surrounding the Trump Administration has had serious consequences. When the mantle of the American presidency is handed to someone so irresponsible, our long-standing alliances begin to fray, and our enemies become emboldened to strike.
Already, our global allies have taken steps to directly bypass the president, due to his lack of coherence in public messaging and unwillingness to pony up to longstanding U.S. commitments such as NATO. His repeated attacks on allies, such as when he took the mayor of London’s words out of context for the sake of a political hitjob, has weakened America’s bargaining position abroad while embarrassing us at home.
The time has long since passed for Americans to say that enough is enough. As long as President Trump keeps tweeting, he continues to make a mockery of our nation, its ideals, and its highest office.