Trump defends use of social media to connect directly with followers; claims it won him election

Leaders have urged Trump to minimize the use of Twitter and the US President also acknowledged that some friends suggested him not to use the social media.

Indo Asian News Service|Oct 23, 2017, 19:28:49 IST

Heavily criticised for the use of Twitter to often launch personal attacks on media outlets and the opposition, US President Donald Trump has defended his regular use of social media and said he might not have won the election without it.[caption id="attachment_4163429" align="alignleft" width="380"]

US President Donald Trump. Reuters.[/caption]In an interview airing on US channel Fox Business Network, Trump said he could bypass what he labels unfair media coverage by speaking directly to his followers. "Tweeting is like a typewriter — when I put it out, you put it immediately on your show. I doubt I would be here if weren't for social media, to be honest with you," he was quoted as saying.Calling his social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram "a tremendous platform", Trump said, "When somebody says something about me, I am able to go bing, bing, bing and I take care of it.""The other way, I would never be [able to] get the word out." Several leaders have urged Trump to avoid or minimize the use of Twitter and the US President also acknowledged that some friends suggested him not to use the social media.Trump, who has 40.9 million followers on Twitter, regularly uses Twitter to attack news media and political opponents often sending out missives in the early morning or late evening hours.

Why AI notetakers are raising serious privacy and security concerns

AI notetakers promise effortless meeting summaries, but experts warn they could expose confidential conversations, corporate secrets and personal voiceprints. As businesses increasingly adopt AI-powered meeting assistants, questions over data storage, privacy, consent and legal risks are becoming impossible to ignore

5 min read

China's low-cost AI models are changing the global AI race. Here's why Silicon Valley is worried

As Chinese firms continue to improve performance while keeping prices low, the AI race is no longer just about building the smartest model—it is increasingly becoming a battle over who can deliver the best value

2 min read

China's Kimi K3 challenges US AI leaders with frontier-level performance at lower cost

Chinese artificial intelligence startup Moonshot AI has unveiled its latest open-weight AI model, Kimi K3, with early results suggesting it could compete with some of the world's most advanced AI systems developed by leading US companies

2 min read

How did Instagram run ads promoting child abuse in India?

India has issued a notice to Meta after an investigation alleged that Instagram displayed paid advertisements promoting child sexual abuse material. MeitY ordered Meta to remove such Instagram ads and explain within seven days how they were approved

8 min read

Why has India halted WhatsApp’s username feature before launch?

India has halted WhatsApp’s planned username feature, citing concerns about cybercrime, impersonation, and law enforcement challenges. As Meta races to address security concerns, here’s why MeitY has paused the rollout, what the feature does, and how it could influence privacy and online safety in India

3 min read

Up Next