United States Presidents have historically used a variety of media to communicate with the American people. Franklin Roosevelt took to radio with what he called “fireside chats” to inform the American people about the Great Depression and World War II. This was considered a significant innovation in presidential communication. Jimmy Carter took his “fireside chats” to television in1977.
Then there were appearances on late-night talk shows. John F. Kennedy was the first presidential candidate to do so as a guest on Jack Paar’s Tonight Show in 1960. Sitting presidents have been guests since then. Bill Clinton appeared on The Arsenio Hall Show in 1992, Barack Obama on Jay Leno’s show in 2009, and Joe Biden made several appearances on various late-night shows.
Our current president communicates often through social media posts. The sheer number of posts is astonishing. The fact that many and often multiple posts are made in the middle of the night might also be considered alarming.
The content of these posts is even more concerning. It seems that diplomacy, decorum, integrity, and even decency are gone and are replaced by insults, threats, and put downs against other people and other countries. Is this how we want the United States to be viewed, what we want in a leader?
I doubt that posting on social media as part of government communication will go away. Pandora’s box has been opened. I think we can express our concerns. We can say this is unacceptable. We need to use our voices and our votes.
