Trump allies say stop, critics say go

Even some of the president’s most dedicated supporters are grumbling about his social media addiction, some of them voicing concerns as recently as this week.

Radio host and faithful Trump foot soldier Laura Ingraham, for example, remarked Tuesday that the president’s off-the-cuff tweets pose a threat to his legislative efforts, including his controversial executive order temporarily banning immigration from six Middle Eastern countries. She also said it’s unhelpful when the president tweets about the federal investigation into Russia’s reported meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

“Well I think he has an enormous following, and when he has a point to make that is salient and which pulls us away from the verbiage of the day, cuts right through, he can be very effective,” Ingraham said.

However, she added, “The only caveat I would throw to that is tweeting out anything about the investigation that’s ongoing, I do not think that will help Donald Trump. I think that if I were giving people advice in the White House, I’d say you’re not going to win the investigation regarding [former FBI director] James Comey in the press.”

“You’re not going to win that through tweeting, you’re going to win that through, you know, smart organization of your legal team and a great strategy. But you’re not going to win it through the Twitter war,” she added.

Her remarks come not even 24 hours after George Conway, spouse to White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, said essentially the same thing.

The president’s tweets on his immigration executive order, “may make some [people] feel better, but they certainly won’t help [the Office of Solicitor General] get 5 votes in [the Supreme Court], which is what actually matters. Sad,” Conway tweeted.

“The [point] cannot be stressed enough that tweets on legal matters seriously undermine Admin agenda and POTUS – and those who support him, as I do, need to reinforce that [point] and not be shy about it,” he added.

Many readers disagree on this, and many eagerly support the president’s Twitter habits. However, the strongest arguments here don’t favor Trump’s social media hobby. From a legal and practicality standpoint, it’s just not smart. From a national security standpoint, it’s extremely risky.

Warnings from legally minded Trump allies ought to be enough to convince supporters that the president is really doing more harm than good with his social media account. If that doesn’t do the trick, then fans would do well to consider the fact that the president’s many critics cheer his Twitter addiction.

Members of the so-called resistance seemed especially thrilled Tuesday after the Washington Post’s Robert Costa reported hearing that the president is considering live-tweeting Comey’s upcoming testimony before Congress.

MSNBC host and frequent Trump critic Stephanie Ruhle said Tuesday, “Mr. President, and I hope you’re watching, I don’t mind your tweeting. In fact, I quite like it. Bring it on!”

She added that she knows of people in the White House who are “desperate to take his smartphone away.”

These are not the cheers of people who want to see the president communicate with voters. They are the cheers of people who understand the president threatens to undermine his own agenda. They are the cheers of people who enjoy a good train wreck.

We say again: President Trump, delete your Twitter account. When your allies say no, and your critics say yes, the best course of action seems pretty clear.