New year, new string of late night tweets sent out by the president of the United States.
Evident even in the brand new year, Trump’s two points of consistency include his tendency to binge tweet while the majority of the American population is asleep and the lengths he can go to make his tweets the most outrageous Twitter has seen – the only possible exception being Jaden Smith’s tweets, circa 2015. As 2018 glides into its second week, Trump continues to baffle followers, opponents and pundits with what seems to be his stream of consciousness via 280 virtual characters.
Trump’s worst tweets of the year thus far mirror the pattern that he traced for himself throughout his first year in office. He starts by claiming some entity is “failing,” “crooked” or “fake,” blames a political opponent for said failure or some unfairness, points out the suffering of some group of people that he will likely not help and then declares that change must occur.
It should be noted that the change he refers to almost always benefits rich, white men such as Trump, which is predictable. Below is a chronological, condensed list of Trump’s worst tweets of the first week of 2018.
1.
“Crooked Hillary Clinton’s top aid, Huma Abedin, has been accused of disregarding basic security protocols. She put Classified Passwords into the hands of foreign agents. Remember sailors pictures on submarine? Jail! Deep State Justice Dept must finally act? Also on Comey & others” – Donald Trump, January 2, 2018
Not only does Trump continue to throw around the term “Crooked Hillary Clinton” in 2018, but he implicates her aid, Abedin, former Director of the FBI James Comey and the entire Justice Department. His incessant obsession with Clinton can only be construed as an indication of deep-rooted insecurities and an attempt to drawn attention from himself when it comes to “security protocols.”
The investigation against Trump’s collusion with Russia should, from this point forward, be considered a disregard of basic security protocols, especially since the Russian Investigation involves election results.
Trump’s “Deep State” reference simply adds fuel to his distraction fire. The president has continually attempted to divert attention away from himself any time the Justice Department gains ground in the Russia Investigation against him. In one tweet, Trump has managed to demonstrate his self-consciousness and hypocrisy with a thinly veiled disruption from his own legal troubles.
2.
“Since taking office I have been very strict on Commercial Aviation. Good news – it was just reported that there were Zero deaths in 2017, the best and safest year on record!” – Donald Trump, January 2, 2018
Taking credit for a feat out of his control is expected of Trump, but by bragging about zero commercial aviation deaths in 2017 as if these figures are unprecedented, he ignores the fact that four and a half years have passed since any deaths involving scheduled passenger airlines have occurred in the U.S. Furthermore, the last time a U.S.-registered passenger scheduled flight resulted in fatalities was 2009.
Trump has even delayed action on a regulation proposed by the Obama Administration that would increase airline safety by banning certain batteries on commercial flights. His self-proclaimed rigidity on commercial airlines is not as strict as he claims, and aviation success is not specific to Trump in any sense.
3.
“(1) The Failing New York Times has a new publisher, A.G. Sulzberger. Congratulations! Here is a last chance for the Times to fulfill the vision of its Founder, Adolph Ochs, ‘to give the news impartially, without fear or FAVOR, regardless of party, sect, or interests involved.’ Get… (2) ….impartial journalists of a much higher standard, lose all of your phony and non-existent ‘sources,’ and treat the President of the United States FAIRLY, so that the next time I (and the people) win, you won’t have to write an apology to your readers for a job poorly done! GL” – Donald Trump, January 2, 2018
Third on the list of Trump’s worst tweets is a twofer. In yet another rant about the New York Times, Trump boldly addresses impartiality and fairness, both of which are ironic coming from him. Fairness, for one, does not include collusion with foreign foes, nor does it involve hacking by said foreign foes in order for an unqualified candidate to win an election. It is also quite unfair for someone to win an election based on exaggerated policy promises and fear-mongering directed toward working class Americans and then proceed to execute policies that benefit only the top 1 percent.
Impartiality, which Trump indirectly proclaims is a cornerstone of news and the Times specifically, is the opposite of tax cuts that benefit only the richest citizens in a country that is increasingly segmented by wealth. In the same vein, impartiality is not banning an entire sect from entering the United States based on their religion, despite the fact that many of these people were seeking refuge after being displaced from their homes as a result of violent civil wars.
Impartiality does not involve stereotyping men of a particular nationality as rapists and then profiting from the fear instilled by the typecast. The only time in recent memory that Trump has been “impartial” was when he decided not to stand against white supremacists, because that’s the right time to be neutral.
4.
“North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un just stated that the ‘Nuclear Button is on his desk at all times.’ Will someone from his depleted and food starved regime please inform him that I too have a Nuclear Button, but it is a much bigger & more powerful one than his, and my Button works!” – Donald Trump, January 2, 2018
Trump, once again, shocked many in his nuclear-button-measuring contest against one of the only modern state actor who matches Trump in irrationality (which is terrifying considering the content of this tweet). The president’s insistence on the larger size of his nuclear button suggests an overcompensation that no one wants to think about, but more importantly it reminds people around the world that Trump and Kim Jong Un have access to nuclear codes.
While at face value this schoolboy tweet is laughable and absurd, the basis indicates grave potential consequences. This tweet conveys an indirect threat that puts U.S. national security at risk, which makes it perhaps Trump’s worst tweet of the year. Oddly enough, it was sent on January 2, not even 41 hours into the New Year.
5.
“I will be announcing THE MOST DISHONEST & CORRUPT MEDIA AWARDS OF THE YEAR on Monday at 5:00 o’clock. Subjects will cover Dishonesty & Bad Reporting in various categories from the Fake News Media. Stay tuned!” – Donald Trump, January 2, 2018
Yes, another tweet from January 2, sent just minutes after the Nuclear Button threat. He obviously felt mouthy that day, at least enough so to virtually yell about the press. The only surprise about this tweet is that he refrained from tweeting it for so long into 2018 – the eccentric capitalizations and dramatic attempt to channel his inner reality star were expected. A shoe-in for the list of worst Trump tweets, the Fake News Media rant is a seasoned veteran, an old friend that comforts you after you’re reminded of the looming threat of nuclear war. Caps-lock and all, this embodiment of the classic Trump tweet inaugurates the New Year and promises some Twitter entertainment in the future.
6.
“The African American unemployment rate fell to 6.8%, the lowest rate in 45 years. I am so happy about this News! And, in the Washington Post (of all places), headline states, ‘Trumps first year jobs numbers were very, very good.’” – Donald Trump, January 6, 2018
In a desperate attempt to salvage any standing he might have in the African American community, Trump jumps onto the Washington Post bandwagon due to a flattering article about employment numbers during the president’s first year in office, despite months of complaints about the newspaper.
After multiple egregious examples of ostracizing black Americans and aligning himself with white supremacists, Trump’s delight about this unemployment shift holds no weight. One tweet declaring ostentatious joy for a group that has continually received less at the hands of people like Trump doesn’t erase his history and remarks regarding race, which was unmistakably his aim.
7.
“(1) Now that Russian collusion, after one year of intense study, has proven to be a total hoax on the American public, the Democrats and their lapdogs, the Fake News Mainstream Media, are taking out the old Ronald Reagan playbook and screaming mental stability and intelligence….. (2) ….Actually, throughout my life, my two greatest assets have been mental stability and being, like, really smart. Crooked Hillary Clinton also played these cards very hard and, as everyone knows, went down in flames. I went from VERY successful businessman, to top T.V. Star….. (3) ….to President of the United States (on my first try). I think that would qualify as not smart, but genius….and a very stable genius at that!” – Donald Trump, January 6, 2018
In a three-in-one tweet defending his mental stability, Trump brings up Hillary Clinton, compares himself to Ronald Reagan, calls himself a “stable genius” and incorrectly uses ellipses five times.
Keeping consistent with Trumpian tactics, instead of ever addressing his own possible collusion with Russians, he passes the buck off to Clinton. Whether or not she colluded with Russians has nothing to do with Trump’s own complicity, though he paints the two as mutually exclusive. His three-part rant is simply another distraction from events that might incriminate him.
It goes without saying that self-proclaiming himself a “stable genius” does more harm than good for the president, but he confidently does so with no substantiation. He seems to forget that “genius” is an objective term – like, really impartial.
8.
“Jake Tapper of Fake News CNN just got destroyed in his interview with Stephen Miller of the Trump Administration. Watch the hatred and unfairness of this CNN flunky!” – Donald Trump, January 7, 2017
Referencing an interview from January 7 wherein Jake Tapper has to repeatedly ask Stephen Miller, a Senior Adviser to Trump, a series of questions for Miller to rehash a story about Trump coming up with content for a rally while ignoring Tapper’s questions. If anyone was destroyed in the interview, it was Miller, who Tapper points out was only saying what his audience of one wanted to hear. Miller, like Trump, ignores the fact that “genius” does not equate to businessman and reality star. The Senior Adviser can at least be sure that the viewership he had hoped for approved of his appearance on Fake News CNN, as Trump’s misleading tweet illustrates.
Trump’s worst tweets of the first week of 2018 have further put into question Trump’s fitness for office. Waging war with a foreign enemy, disguising his own insecurities by calling out political opponents, undermining his perceived mental state by declaring himself a genius and ironically promoting objectivity are only a few ways in which Trump continues to shock the public, which seems to be his end goal.
One question that remains is whether he actually sends his own tweets, or if he has his 11-year-old son Barron run his twitter account, as the grammar in each tweet suggests. This abridged list of outrageous Trump tweets barely hits the tip of the iceberg, but each of the eight tweet guarantees that there is much to come in 2018 for political junkies and twitter users alike.
