It’s fair to say that US President Donald Trump has been causing quite the frenzy on social media in recent weeks, particularly on Twitter. The 73-year-old has long been an active Tweeter, and used the platform as a means of building major support in the build-up to the 2016 US Presidential election. Trump’s political strategies have been described in some quarters as populism, and Twitter offers the perfect platform for the President to garner support among like-minded Americans.
However, there is a sense that Trump’s often controversial use of Twitter has finally boiled over after simmering hotly for so many years, and this may be of interest to those who bet on the next 2020 US President with the Betfair odds. The media storm that has arisen since Twitter took action against certain posts by the President could give Trump’s Democratic challenger, likely Joe Biden, an advantage when it comes to winning over voters.
It started when one of Trump’s tweets in relation to mail-in ballots was flagged by Twitter as potentially including misinformation. This was represented by a blue panel underneath the tweet, containing an exclamation mark and text reading: ‘Get the facts about mail-in ballots’.
It didn’t end there though, as after the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers led to protests and looting in the city, Trump posted a tweet containing the phrase: ‘when the looting starts, the shooting starts’. Twitter deemed this post to be glorifying violence, and therefore hid the tweet behind a panel, but kept it available to view should the user choose to do so.
This has, unsurprisingly, enraged Trump, who has accused Twitter of interfering in the 2020 US presidential election, and the latest American politics betting tips do show that Biden holds a slender advantage over the Republican incumbent president. The question lies in what extent this recent furore will alter the thinking of American voters who may already have been on the fence in terms of who they’re going to vote for in November.
Even with these latest measures taken by Twitter to oppose some of Trump’s tweets, the President’s often controversial use of the platform is a well-known part of his political strategies. Some voters may think Twitter has acted too rashly, while some may think that it’s about time a social media company made a stand against the President. Whatever view you take, it’s unclear how much impact this will have on the election in the grand scheme of things, as Trump’s tweets are such a familiar part of his public persona.
On Biden’s part, his social media profiles represent a more mellow approach, rife with the usual platitudes you would expect from a public figure. This down-the-middle approach could help in swaying voters who are unsure which way to vote when it comes to the election. Biden has been using Twitter to take swipes at Trump, tweeting that “Trump’s Tantrum Diplomacy is eroding U.S. credibility on the international stage” in relation the President’s decision to end the country’s relationship with the World Health Organization.
Perhaps this is proof that Biden will indeed be willing to play dirty on social media in order to further his claim to the White House. At a time when social media is so powerful and influential, it will be interesting to see the role it plays in the 2020 election, particularly in light of Trump’s recent spat with the bigwigs at Twitter.
