Introduction
Presidents use social media platforms to communicate with their citizens and the rest of the world. Similarly to other politicians, the presidents use the spaces to connect with their voters, conduct political campaigns, and give reports about implementing their agendas. Compared to Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and other social media platforms, Twitter is the most used media by presidents. Twitter is a political space where politicians share political agendas and opinions regarding policies and other global matters. In addition to politics, presidents use social media to mark holidays and recognize important days in their countries.
This paper compares the use of social media by two American presidents, Donald Trump and Joe Biden, during their terms. It analyzes the proper and improper use of social media as illustrated by the history of the two presidents. Compared to Biden, President Trump had more followers and had a significant influence on the people on social media. However, Biden’s use of social media is more professional and formal, while Trump’s use was highly criticized.
Reinforcing Political Agendas
The primary use of social media is to inform, and American presidents are some of the informers. When a president is elected, the people expect to know their primary agendas and strategies to fulfill them. Although presidents might have told the citizens about the agendas during the campaigns, the voters want to be reminded. Consequently, the country leaders use these platforms to reinforce or support agendas in progress and those upcoming.
Both Biden and Trump have used their Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to announce new and progressive political policies. The presidents use these platforms to convince their large followers regarding proposed agendas. During his presidency, Donald Trump had at least 85 million Twitter, 30 million Facebook, and 20 million Instagram followers.
Trump broke a record as the most followed president globally and significantly influenced social media. He, therefore, used this following to the advantage of announcing agendas and policies to the Americans. Biden might have a lower following, with 37 million on Twitter,19.5 million on Instagram, and 11 million on Facebook, but he still impacts social media.
However, President Biden’s announcement of agendas takes the form of retelling compared to Trump’s. Biden uses traditional platforms such as press releases to announce new policies, while Trump would skip the press and introduce a new policy on social media. According to an article by Forbes, Trump would use social media platforms to introduce policies without allowing his team to vet and analyze them. Trump would tweet breaking news, and media houses had to quote his posts when reporting nationally. He would also not hold press releases and gatherings that allowed evaluation of his policies and procedures.
Furthermore, unlike Biden, who uses Twitter within limits, Trump would tweet at any time of the day, including late at night. One of the primary agendas for Biden has been improving the Affordable Care Act, and he has frequently reminded his followers on Twitter and Instagram. He has also shown the progress of implementation through postings.
Report Implementation of Political Agendas
Presidents Biden and Trump have also used social media to report the progress of policy implementation. In most cases, the presidents shared photos alongside captions revealing events through which they implemented the set agendas. Biden has been pushing and proving the implementation of the Affordable Care Act on social media.
For example, on March 23, 2023, Biden posted on his official Twitter and Instagram accounts, “Since the Affordable Care Act was signed, Republicans on the Hill haven’t stopped their attacks on this lifesaving law. Multiple court challenges. Sabotage from my predecessor. Over 50 attempts to repeal it. I’ve got a better idea — let’s protect, strengthen, and extend it.” The message was to remind the citizens about his administration’s agendas and implementation progress. Trump would also use the platforms to inform his followers regarding the success of his policies. The presidents have equally used the platforms to share photos and videos of policy reinforcement events with the rest of the world. By sharing them on social media, the photos and videos are evidence of action for the ruling governments.
Run Political Campaigns
Presidents’ most common use of social media is to run political campaigns. Presidents use social media spaces to announce their presidential bids and ask for voters’ support. Social media following might not imply the support of a certain president during elections. A practical example is Donald Trump, who, despite having a larger following than Biden, lost the 2020 election. According to President Biden, the ability to convince voters that his agendas were best for America helped him win against Trump.
Both Biden and Trump were popular on Twitter in 2020, where they campaigned for the presidency. The two would share their agenda-based information to attract voters on social media. During their presidency, Biden and Trump posted public event videos on YouTube to share their memories with the rest of the world. They would also post photos and videos as evidence of an overwhelming number of voters. However, their use of social media for campaign purposes differed after the election.
Donald Trump was criticized and banned from his social media accounts due to inappropriate use of the platforms. After the 2020 elections, Trump would not accept the results and used his Twitter to incite violence. According to the report, Trump’s Twitter posts influenced Republicans to storm the capital and cause violence. Indeed, when Twitter officials banned his account, they cited inciting violence as the primary form of violating the platform’s guidelines.
On January 6, 2021, Trump tweeted, “The States want to redo their votes. They found out they voted in a FRAUD. Legislatures never approved. Let them do it. BE STRONG!” In this post, Trump calls President Biden fraud for winning the election. Trump had also posted other abusive posts that were deleted by Twitter support. Both Democrats and Republicans found Trump’s actions of inciting violence unlawful. As a result, all of his social media accounts were banned.
Celebrate Holidays and People
The two American presidents have used their social media accounts to recognize national heroes and celebrate holidays. The presidents officially join the rest of the world or nation to celebrate various holidays or specials by wishing citizens well. For example, Biden recently posted a Ramadan photo on Instagram wishing Muslims Ramadan Kareem during this month of prayers.
Biden rarely uses his Facebook account but often uses it to celebrate his family goals. For example, on Mother’s Day on May 8, 2022, to celebrate his wife, Jill Biden, to show gratitude for her love and support. Trump equally used social media to celebrate holidays and special days with Americans. The presidents often take such moments to preach peace and unity from national and global perspectives.
Presidents Biden and Trump have used the media to recognize and celebrate heroes and persons of honor. They often quote people’s messages or post their pictures alongside recognition messages. For example, on November 11, 2020, Trump posted a photo celebrating Veteran’s Day on Instagram. In his caption, he honored those who served America as a nation.
On March 22, 2023, President Biden posted on Twitter a photo of one Joshua, a male child who, alongside his family, was struggling to afford insulin. In his message, he was celebrating the recognition of the child and his renewed ability to afford diabetes insulin courtesy of the reformed Affordable Care Act. These are among other ways that presidents socialize with media users.
Respond to Critics and Clear Misinformation
Presidents often post to social media to respond to critics and debunk misinformation to retain their reputations. They do this to defend their political parties and actions during their rulings. Biden has used Twitter to respond to Republican critics, especially those who misinformed him about his agenda achievement. On his Twitter account, Biden recently responded to critics challenging his plan to improve the Affordable Care Act by wanting the act abolished. He mentioned that despite the Republican challenges to abolish the act, he would keep fighting for better health.
Biden uses his accounts to communicate from a formal perspective regarding various matters. Although the Republicans severely criticize him occasionally, the president never takes to social media to attack back directly. Instead, he proves what he has done to overcome such challenges. On the contrary, Trump would go head-on with criticizers and respond to their misinformation.
Trump was known to directly respond to almost all his haters on Twitter and various clear misinformation. Many Democrats and global political leaders found the informal way of responding to critics was the wrong use of political leadership. Before his Twitter account was banned, Trump posted a response addressing rumors regarding his attendance at Joe Biden’s inauguration party. He said, “To all those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20.” While some criticizers feel such tweets are not necessary, others find them crucial updates for his fans.
Trump would also retweet very casual tweets from his followers or people with whose opinions he agreed. He would mostly retweet posts as a way of responding to his opposition. The Joe Biden accounts never retweet informal tweets and rarely retweet matters outside political agendas.
Conclusion
Compared to President Biden, Trump used social media platforms widely and inappropriately. Biden has assumed the most formal and traditional way of announcing the news. He often uses press release gatherings to break the news, thus allowing media houses to get first-hand news.
On the contrary, Trump used social media platforms to break the news and would rarely hold press releases. Consequently, media houses had to quote his tweets for information on their news. Unlike Biden, Trump was also known for social media outbursts that often contained misinformation. Such practices led to the banning of his social media accounts and the ending of his media era. Therefore, President Biden’s use of social media is more appropriate than that of Trump.
Bibliography
Laskowski, Amy. “Can Biden Learn Anything from Trump About How Presidents Use Social Media?” Boston University. 2021. Web.
Biden, Joe (@joe) 2023. “Since the Affordable Care Act was signed, Republicans on the Hill haven’t stopped their attacks on this lifesaving law. Multiple court challenges. Sabotage from my predecessor. Over 50 attempts to repeal it. I’ve got a better idea — let’s protect, strengthen, and extend it.” Twitter. Web.
President Biden (@potus). 2023. “Jill and I wish Muslim communities here at home and around the world a blessed and prosperous month. Ramadan Kareem!” Instagram, 2023. Web.
Biden, Joe. 2022. “Happy Mother’s Day My Love, Partner, and Support.” Facebook. Web.
Trump, Donald (@realDonald). 2021. “The States want to redo their votes. They found out they voted on a FRAUD. Legislatures never approved. Let them do it. BE STRONG!” Twitter. Web.
Trump, Donald (@realDonald). 2021. “To all of those who have asked, I will not be going to the Inauguration on January 20.” Twitter. Web.
Suciu, Peter. “How Past Presidents Might Have Used Social Media.” Forbes. 2020. Web.