Social Media is an excellent forum for elected leaders as it is the fastest and one of the most efficient ways they can convey information and their thoughts to the public. In addition, there are many platforms where millions connect which is the reason why it is so easy to access a free system. Though it may be fast and the best way to get a personal message out to the public, it is sometimes not the best idea to represent those who elected you as a leader by conveying personal unchecked commentary on a subject. As a direct result, some of the best ways to communicate with the public is via news networks where there are scripted lines that are thoroughly checked to make sure there are no compromising comments that can jeopardize others. Even though there could be repercussions to an unscripted and unchecked comment, sometimes social media can play a critical part in providing crucial information to those who do not have access to a television and to those who need quick information with as little words as possible. The agendas for the President and Vice President of the United States convey various messages all the time and each message is in accordance with an agenda that each elected leader is trying to portray.
The agendas of President Trump are very eye catching. His bold comments are sometimes very offending but they get the message out. One theme that Trump follows is through the economy. It is listed as one of his major focuses in his presidential campaign as he wants to bring jobs back to America and to stop outsourcing jobs to other countries who will accept less pay. By doing so, he decided to create a tax cut on businesses which he hoped would bring back many companies who were buried in taxes in the United States. He stated that “this will be the biggest TAX CUT in the history of our country – and we need it!” By stating this, he creates a clear message that he is sticking to his promise to helping bring back American businesses to the United States and that he is currently working on a solution beginning with the tax cut. In addition, on the same day, he tweeted on October 25th, that he hopes that his trip to China will be a “historic trip.” With the photo below his comment of a positive relation with China, he sends a clear message that he hopes to improve relations with China in such a personal visit. This message is a clear work of foreign relations and foreign policy as he Trump hopes to achieve better relations with China as they are one of the most powerful countries in the world. His trip was truly to help convince China that they need to help by complying with UN resolutions and that they need to pressure North Korea over the recent events. With North Korea testing nuclear warheads and missiles, they are preparing for a major event which can be prevented if China and the United States can come up with a peaceful solution. By tweeting out such a positive and optimistic photo, he portrays to the public that he is ready to work with China to help stop North Korean aggression and to help improve relations around the world. Lastly, in a more distant tweet, he tweets about his promise to build a wall between Mexico and the United States. He stated that “BORDER WALL prototypes are underway!” By stating this, he is clearly updating the public that he is sticking with his campaign promise to separate a so-called drug filled country from the United States. Though it is not stated specifically in his White House Administration tab. These tweets ranging from October 10th to about the 25th has had a real impact in helping the public know what his agenda is and what he is working on which keeps Americans and the world aware of what is going on.
In conjunction with Trump’s tweets, Pence’s tweets are just as effective. In his hopes to “Make America Great Again,” Pence is clearly following in the footsteps of Trump’s administration. He states during the same time period as Trump’s tweets (October 25th-17th) that “we’ll cut taxes across the board, rebuild America, and renew American strength at home and abroad.” Through this comment, he is clearly stating his support for his agenda for improving the United States economy. Though not specifically stated on his White House page, it clearly states he wants to “make America great again” which clearly conveys his agenda. In addition, he states on the same day that “we’re already rebuilding out military and renewing our judiciary.” With this second tweet, he is clearly stating that his agenda is not only to help improve the economy through tax cuts but also preparing America for possibility of war which bolsters his position on foreign policy. He is showing that he is taking a clear step to tell other countries that America will be ready for any threat to its sovereignty at any time. Lastly, Pence also tweets that he is “proud to stand with you Ed! You will be a great governor for ALL Virginians.” By tweeting this, he is also stating a clear position on his focus on domestic policy and that he is “pro-2nd Amendment.” By stating that he supports the right to bear arms, he is clearly showing his positon on the recent gun laws that have taken place and what is being done about the recent shootings around the world.
I believe that our elected leaders have a social responsibility to maintain professional comments on social media than compared to regular users of social media. Because our elected officials represent those who elected them, they represent something bigger than themselves and as a result, they need to watch what they say and they need to comment without offending another party in the process. If I were a social media advisor to each man, I would tell them very different things. Based upon my own best practices, I know that whatever I say on social media can and will be used against me in the future and I think my elected leaders need to better understand that especially Trump. Trump has a way of getting personal and you can tell with the tone in his messages that he will clearly portray his views on a subject. On the other hand, Pence is not as aggressive as Trump and only says bold comments when they are in relation with Trump’s comments. Their “Make American Great Again” slogan is an example of their bold ways and if I were the social media advisor to the two, I would say that our country is not so much like a business but it is a baby that needs to be cared for and needs to keep in line by playing nice with the other babies (countries). There are many times when we can sometimes see that their tweets might be lies. Like Trump’s tweet about Hillary Clinton. He claims that “Team Hillary has played the press for fools on Russia” but without solid proofs that he can release, he might be in fault and just trying to reassure the public that he is a solid leader and he did not corrupt the election system to become president. To me, it seems like it is one of the propaganda videos that the candidates make during their running for president which really makes me think that in many cases, their videos are not true which makes me think that his tweet with the video could also be false.
Through the evaluation of both elected leaders, I can see a clear difference in persona and how they like to release information to the public. Pence is more conservative and tweets less often but Trump likes to release information as soon as he gets it and tries to make the most out of his intel but it can sometimes be ineffective and discriminating as it can hurt people’s feelings and create retaliation. Their use of social media can be good and bad in many ways but they both have much to learn as their words can carry for hundreds of miles.