Why Some Worry About Trump’s Tweets

 

By early Friday morning, President Donald Trump¹ was back on Twitter. He tweeted about U.S. relations with Iran and Australia, “radical Islamic terrorist” and “Yes, Arnold Schwarzenegger.”

Just the day before, the president had already tweeted that “Iran has been formally PUT ON NOTICE for firing a ballistic missile.” And he questioned if government financial aid should stop for a California university where protestors prevented a Breibart News editor from speaking.

Trump, entering his third week as president, is tweeting often – just as he did during his successful campaign for president.

Why some are concerned about his tweets

His frequent postings on Twitter are raising questions. Some want the White House to keep all of Trump’s tweets as part of the official administration records to be turned over after he leaves office. Others worry his Twitter account can be “hacked³,” while some question if his tweets will make it difficult for him to govern.

Shontavia Johnson is director of the Intellectual Property Law Center at Drake University Law School in Iowa.

Johnson said some might ask “what’s the big deal” saving Trump’s tweets for presidential records. But she said it is important the White House keep all tweets so National Archives and Records Administration experts can organize them for study by historians after Trump’s presidency⁴ ends.

Concern about hacking⁵

Chris Dore is a Chicago lawyer who works on privacy and technology issues. Dore said he worries people will hack² into Trump’s Twitter account and post fake material.

“Twitter accounts get hacked all the time,” Dore said. If people got a hold of Trump’s Twitter account, they could pass on false information about a business, or create an international crisis, so they could gain financially, he said.

Already tweets from the @realDonaldTrump have affected⁶ the price of stocks. The Wall Street Journal reported that, after Trump criticized companies such as Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Ford⁷, General Motors and Toyota, their stock prices dropped.

Trump aide says president wants to connect with people

Kellyanne Conway is a Trump adviser⁸. She said Trump continues to tweet because it is “a very powerful way for him to communicate and connect directly with people.”

But Trump’s tweets have not always helped him. On Tuesday, Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer talked about the president's order temporarily blocking travel to the U.S. from seven majority-Muslim nations. Spicer said news reports were wrong to call it a travel ban. Reporters noted⁹ that Trump himself had called it a ban just the day before on Twitter.

Using Twitter to hit back at critics

As he did as a presidential candidate, Trump uses Twitter to hit back at people and organizations he believes have been unfairly critical. He accused Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer of showing “fake tears” to criticize Trump's travel restrictions¹⁰. And he continues to attack news organizations, saying they are dishonest and providing "fake news."

Theodore Glasser is a professor of communications at Stanford University in California. During a recent talk on Trump’s relations with the news media, he complained that Trump is not always truthful¹¹ in his tweets and statements.

“There is no commitment to ‘facts’ or ‘truth,” he said. Glasser said Trump has done “more damage to the quality of public discourse¹² than any president I can remember.”

Carole Bell is a communications expert at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She said Trump supporters enjoy reading tweets directly from Trump on how he feels about issues and his critics. It gives him “authenticity¹³,” she said.

But Bell said Trump is bringing that same “informality” to more formal settings. She cited speeches at the National Prayer Breakfast and for Black History Month that drew questions whether he was taking the events seriously enough.

John Wihbey, another Northeastern University communications expert, said tweeting helped Trump win over voters during the election. But Wihbey said tweeting his opinions in 140 characters or less as president might not be helpful as he tries to govern and negotiate health and tax bills, or new international trade deals.

Words in This Story

formally – adv. made or done in an official and usually public way

ballistic missile – n. a weapon that is shot through the sky over a great distance and then falls to the ground and explodes

editor – n. a person whose job is to prepare (something written) to be published or used: an editor can make changes, correct mistakes, etc., in (something written)

frequent – adj.? happening often

account – n.? an arrangement in which a person uses the Internet or e-mail services of a particular company?

hack – v. to secretly get access to the files on a computer or network in order to get information or cause damage

fake – adj. not real

stock – n. share of the value of a company which can be bought, sold, or traded as an investment

complain – v.? to say (something that expresses dislike or unhappiness)?

commitment – n. a promise to do or give something

discourse – n.? a long talk or piece of writing about a subject?

authenticity – adj. real or genuine

cite – v. to mention (something) especially as an example or to support an idea or opinion?

1 trump   

n.王牌，法宝；v.打出王牌，吹喇叭

参考例句：

• He was never able to trump up the courage to have a showdown.他始终鼓不起勇气摊牌。
• The coach saved his star player for a trump card.教练保留他的明星选手，作为他的王牌。

2 hack   

n.劈，砍，出租马车；v.劈，砍，干咳

参考例句：

• He made a hack at the log.他朝圆木上砍了一下。
• Early settlers had to hack out a clearing in the forest where they could grow crops.早期移民不得不在森林里劈出空地种庄稼。

3 hacked   

生气

参考例句：

• I hacked the dead branches off. 我把枯树枝砍掉了。
• I'm really hacked off. 我真是很恼火。

4 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

5 hacking   

n.非法访问计算机系统和数据库的活动

参考例句：

• The patient with emphysema is hacking all day. 这个肺气肿病人整天不断地干咳。
• We undertook the task of hacking our way through the jungle. 我们负责在丛林中开路。

6 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

7 Ford   

n.浅滩，水浅可涉处；v.涉水，涉过

参考例句：

• They were guarding the bridge,so we forded the river.他们驻守在那座桥上，所以我们只能涉水过河。
• If you decide to ford a stream,be extremely careful.如果已决定要涉过小溪，必须极度小心。

8 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

9 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

10 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

11 truthful   

adj.真实的，说实话的，诚实的

参考例句：

• You can count on him for a truthful report of the accident.你放心，他会对事故作出如实的报告的。
• I don't think you are being entirely truthful.我认为你并没全讲真话。

12 discourse   

n.论文，演说；谈话；话语；vi.讲述，著述

参考例句：

• We'll discourse on the subject tonight.我们今晚要谈论这个问题。
• He fell into discourse with the customers who were drinking at the counter.他和站在柜台旁的酒客谈了起来。

13 authenticity   

n.真实性

参考例句：

• There has been some debate over the authenticity of his will. 对于他的遗嘱的真实性一直有争论。
• The museum is seeking an expert opinion on the authenticity of the painting. 博物馆在请专家鉴定那幅画的真伪。