50 Days/50 Tweets: How the President Uses Twitter to Control the Narrative

WASHINGTON  DC -- The title of this article is in fact, 50 Days, 50 Tweets but in reality during his first fifty days in office President Trump has hit the send button on more than 200 tweets.

The president and his aides operate two Twitter pages. The first @realdonaldtrump has 26 million followers. The second, @potus which also belonged to President Obama, has another 16 million followers.

President Trump uses this massive online audience to bypass what he calls the “opposition party” or the mainstream media and take his message straight to the American people. It’s a strategy he explained in his latest interview with CBN News. 

“Nowadays, as president, what is the filter? Are you calling this out? Are you doing this yourself?” asked CBN News Chief Political Correspondent David Brody.

“The media are very dishonest and if they were honest I wouldn’t bother doing it. Because I wouldn’t have to do it, because I could call somebody up and I could give them the information or I could issue a press release or something,” Trump explained.

“I can do messages around the media and get my word out the way I mean my word,” he continued.

In fact, many of the president’s tweets have created news all by themselves.

One of the biggest news events of his first 50 days in office came from an early morning tweet sent on Saturday, March 4.

“Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!”

This tweet alone has sparked a Congressional investigation into the actions of former president Barack Obama. 

Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC, said he stands ready to subpoena the intelligence agencies in order to get the bottom of it all.

Analysts have pointed to the fact the most controversial tweets often come on weekends when the president is away from the watchful eyes of some of his staff. 

On Saturday, January 28, the night before his big interview with CBN News, the president tweeted:

I will be interviewed by @TheBrodyFile on @CBNNews tonight at 11pm. Enjoy!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2017

That tweet was deleted and reposted the next day, on the actual date of the interview.

However, it was met with criticism from the mainstream media who claim the original Tweet was sent at a time they say the President should have been paying attention to the raid in Yemen.

And while many of the Tweets have been the basis of criticism, the president has used social media to rally the Republican Party.

After last week’s release of the American Health Care Act, President Trump took his plea for unity directly to the bill's most outspoken critic, Senator Rand Paul, R-KY.

“I feel sure that my friend @randpaul will come along with the new and great health care program because he knows Obamacare is a disaster!” Trump tweeted.

The president has also used the platform to shut down some of his biggest naysayers.

“We should start an immediate investigation into @senschumer and his ties to Russia and Putin,” Trump tweeted along with a picture of a smiling Senator Chuck Schumer, D-NY alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin. 

The president has also used the social media site to address ongoing beefs with celebrities.

“Arnold Schwarzenegger isn’t voluntarily leaving the Apprentice, he was fired by his bad (pathetic) ratings, not by me. Sad end to great show” said Trump.

Critics point to tweets like that as being beneath the office of the President. 

But Trump supporters say that candor, honesty and fighter mentality is part of the reason they chose him.

And it doesn't look like the tweets have any chance of stopping.

In an interview with CBN News Chief Political Correspondent David Brody asked then-candidate Trump about his social media use.  

“I tweet myself.  Sometimes, I will dictate during the day but during the evening, after about 7 o’clock, usually it’s me doing the work and I have fun doing it,” Trump said.