While most of, or all of Trump’s detractors will use every slimy and sleazy trick in their pockets to falsify facts about the US President, one fact cannot be changed: Trump’s use of Twitter has changed the world.
Tweet Diplomacy is a new concept that is attributed to Trump. What might seem like an emotional outburst is, in fact, a controlled and calculated response that President Trump and some of his closest advisors use to send immediate messages.
The Psychology of Tweet
What a lot of inexperienced detractors do not understand is that the way world leaders react is different to the way an average person would react. The time frames are different, and the reactions are contained. Take for instance Trump’s recent harangue with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and the nuclear issue. Trump sent a tweet stating that America has a far more advanced and larger nuclear force and that North Korea shouldn’t test it. This is the first time a US leader has stated the obvious in such a direct way. It was stated as a personal comment via Twitter, and sent a message “don’t test me.”
Now let’s look at the old or conventional way. The President would call in the press secretary, Secretary of State and most probably the Secretary of Defense to discuss ways to reply to a North Korean threat. The issue would be deliberated, and a message would be sent out through official channels. The whole process would take a few days.
What Trump has done is cut out all the irrelevant bureaucracy, sent a personal and direct message and left North Korea to consider this issue. He has consolidated the power of the President’s office, showing that the President can and will make global issues a Presidential decision and not a “democratic” one.
This is the language that a dictatorship understands, Kim Jung Un does not view the American democracy as a strong political system, for him and other dictators, the Western democracy is weak, where decisions are discussed before being made. Trump is now showing the North Korean dictator that the new boss does not need democracy to state his mind, and that means that decisions will be made resolutely and swiftly.
What it does not mean is that Trump will ignore due process, President Trump realizes that his office must operate with due process. However, there is no regulation to what he can say and how he conveys the message.
Another issue of Tweet psychology is personalization, this is not a President that will create a message, and have it delivered by his press Secretary, nor will he wait for the cameras to speak. He will deliver his thoughts and feelings directly and immediately. The Presidential Tweet is a direct, immediate, and personal message from the President to the subject. In issues of violence, Trump’s tweets send an immediate message to the victims, that the President is aware of the situation and is acting on their behalf. No president before Trump has ever taken such an active and immediate course of interactivity.
The Presidents Campaign
What most do not see is how President Trump is delivering his messages into the sub-conscious psyche of everyone at once in one Tweet. His campaign message of “America First” stands behind his Tweet’s, while due process and bureaucracy can hamper his decisions, it cannot stop him from stating what he wants to do and what he believes is right. Freedom of Speech is one of the cornerstones of American Democracy, and Trump as the leader of this democracy is the light bearer for free speech.
His thoughts shed light on how he views the American role in global politics and commerce. He sees America as a Hyper Nation that does not need to get physically involved in every issue. What he also sees the economics of control, as a businessman, his initiatives are shaded by a commercial point of view. He does not view “wishy-washy” politics as being a viable form of international discourse. His action to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem is one such initiative. It shows that America will no longer be swayed by anti-American sentiment. What is good for Europe, and ultimately led to its Immigration problems, is not good for America. Why should pour millions of US Tax paying dollars into organizations that promote Anti American sentiment and even terrorism against the US on US soil, not just abroad? By stopping funding to anti-American nations and international organizations, he is telling everyone that the US is no longer playing this “losers” game. Take for example the street corner shakes up, where a gang takes a daily fee for using their “corner,” this is just like the UN taking money from the US only to beat the US in its various committees.
The UN is a bully since it is scared of its Arab and Muslim contingency, bowing to anti-Semitism and deferring to terrorist supporters and even terrorist nations, and then demanding that the US pay for this service. Trump’s tweets not only show how he thinks but also how he will act. He will put the US first, what is good for the US not what is good for Europe or the Muslim nations. He will not cower in the face of terrorism or anti-Semitism only because it is for the benefit of the fearful to be swayed by the brutality of Islamic extremism.
From Tweet to Tangible
The use of Twitter to deliver his messages, is always supported by a following action to make the message tangible, a reality. His staff and his office are active in supporting every message with action. Sometimes he is successful, such as UN Envoy Hailey’s confirmation of Trump’s decisions in the UN assembly, or the Tax Bill that passed Congress and became a reality. Trump’s fight against Chinese expansion and his thoughts on the Iranian Nuclear issue are all being dealt with by the various arms of his government.
Due process is part of the US checks and balance principle, and the bottom line is that unlike all of his predecessors, Trump sends out his messages, personalized and immediate through Twitter, but also follows up with real-life action to back up his messages. This is not a man that believes in taking without doing, which is the fundamental difference between a politician and a businessman.
The Future of Tweet
President Trump has put Twitter well on the map of global communications, turning this US technology platform into an official Presidential platform. Every message you will read will convey two meanings:
- The President’s personal thoughts
- The Presidents intention for immediate action
Taking away the focus from the official President and placing it on the un-official person
Once the President tweets, his staff knows what is coming next, and everyone is ready to deal with the situation.
In other words, the Presidents tweets convey what is immediately important to him and what must be dealt with, without hiding it in secret memos or long-winded meetings. Trump is efficient, saving time and directing the relevant support staff to prepare for the meeting that will come after he tweet. It also gives the White House time to read all the fallout from the tweet. What better way to prepare for an attack when the “enemy” (in this case the press and media) are all reacting to the Presidents tweet. The reaction to the tweet also gives the White House time to collate all the information and prepare a plan of action to counter the fallout.
The transfer of focus making tweets personal is a great misdirection. The person and the office are the same, and the media and detractors have all fallen into the trap of decrying Trump’s competence and intelligence. Which is not the real issue, it is only something for the media to deal with while the President and his staff can concentrate on the real action. By focusing everyone on the Tweet, Trump is directing and managing his detractors, proving how cunning, intelligent, and psychologically adept he really is.
Bottom Line
The Presidential Tweets are a precisely formed way of initiating three actions and one failsafe:
- Getting the message across immediately and to everyone
- Allowing the White House to prepare for all reactions as and when they come in
- Building up the active initiative that will support the tweet
- Making the message personal takes it away from the official status of his government (Focusing the issue on Trump as a person and not the President as the leader of the US)
Tweets will continue and even grow. They will become a preferred way of communicating messages to global leaders and politicians. They will be used to create global headlines and a tool for candidates in electoral elections. Twitter has changed the face of global diplomacy and political activism. This is exactly what Trump realized and uses. Trump has changed the world with a Tweet.
