Before he began holding mass rallies, Twitter was Donald Trump’s secret weapon for connecting with ordinary Americans in 140-character increments. He acquired millions of followers as a celebrity businessman and reality TV star before he was even active in politics.
Can Hillary Clinton turn that weapon against him? The Democratic front-runner is going to try. In what was billed as a major foreign policy address, Clinton lashed out at her Republican counterpart’s social media habits, making them a key part of her critique of his temperament.
“Imagine if he had not just his Twitter account at his disposal when he’s angry, but America’s entire arsenal,” Clinton told the audience in San Diego, saying that “composing nasty tweets” is one of the “tools” Trump “brings to the table.”
“I’m willing to bet he’s composing a few right now,” Clinton quipped. Right on cue, Trump tweeted, “Bad performance by Crooked Hillary Clinton! Reading poorly from the telepromter! [sic] She doesn’t even look presidential!”
Does Trump have a Twitter problem? Like the rest of his riffing and risk-taking, his prolific use of social media websites to express unfiltered and occasionally ill-advised opinions worries Republicans who fear he will commit online blunders at the height of a campaign in which the GOP has little margin for error.
This is part of a broader complaint by Washington Republicans that Trump should be “more presidential” in his demeanor. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has been Trump-friendly, but has also said “we could use a little more discipline and a little more self-restraint” from the GOP standard-bearer.
Trump raised eyebrows among these Republicans by tweeting out a picture of himself on Cinco de Mayo eating a taco bowl with the caption, “I love Hispanics!” Perhaps his most famous Twitter mishaps concerned Ted Cruz’s wife Heidi. He threatened to “spill the beans” about his rival’s wife and later retweeted an unflattering image of Mrs. Cruz.
A man of few apologies, Trump himself later conceded the Heidi Cruz flap was a “mistake.” It was part of a series of short-lived setbacks that culminated in him losing the Wisconsin primary, though it obviously didn’t keep him from winning a majority of delegates.
Clinton plans to use Trump’s Twitter rants as Exhibit A in her case that he is too unhinged to be president of the United States. “She doesn’t know what’s going to work,” Republican strategist Ford O’Connell told the Washington Examiner, so she is “throwing the kitchen sink” at Trump.
Trump’s Twitter persona is not without defenders, however. Their rationale is that at his rallies and in his social media posts, Trump is like a stand-up comedian testing out new jokes. From nicknames like “Crooked Hillary” and “Lyin’ Ted” to broader talking points, Trump tries out his new material in front of an audience, sees what gets laughs live or goes viral online and sticks with what works.
“Each new tweet is starting a new messaging avenue,” O’Connell said. “It’s ingenious, but it’s not a science.”
Twitter users know you can block someone whose posts you find annoying. Clinton is trying to block one from the White House.
