There are a number of reasons a person might run for president of the United States. It’s the most powerful and influential position in the world, the White House is a stunning place of residence, and the resources the title gives one to make change in the world is unmatched. But all of these factors pale in comparison to the real prize; a treasure incomparable to most; unarguably the number one trophy that would make a person run for president: the @potus Instagram account.
As soon as he was inaugurated the morning of Jan. 20, 2025, Donald Trump slapped his name and truly bone-chilling presidential portrait onto the presidential account, wiping it clean of all of former president Joe Biden’s carefully curated photo dumps. In addition the @vp (vice president) and @flotus (first lady of the United States) accounts were wiped clean and transferred over to JD Vance and Melania Trump, respectively. Finally, the official White House account was wiped and rebranded, with all the accounts touting some form of the slogan “The Golden Age of America.”
Multiple of these accounts, most notably @potus and @whitehouse, immediately began to put out propaganda-like media, claiming glory unlike any previous administration with captions such as “NOTHING WILL STAND IN OUR WAY,” “DEFEATING AMERICA’S ENEMIES,” and “UNLEASHING American Energy DOMINANCE.” The trend of aggression and overgeneralization continued into his next claims, which stated that “President Trump [delivered] more in 100 hours than any president in 100 days” and that said hundred hours were “the most historic 100 hours in American history.”
Perhaps most appalling of all the new President’s uses of social media was a post on Jan. 26. The White House posted the full names, mug-shots, and alleged crimes of nine men of color taken into custody across the country by ICE agents. This disrespectful invasion of privacy of these men is just one example of Donald Trump’s numerous policies influenced by racism and xenophobia.
The act becomes more ironic when these mens’ one to three charges are compared with the Presidents’ 34 felony convictions.
In this day and age, social media can be a valuable tool to inform, persuade, and shape movements. But when put in the hands of a powerful and influential yet immature, narcissistic, and overzealous individual, or frankly an administration, it can have lasting consequences. The claims and argued successes the President has used his social media platform to exhibit are a reflection of a deeply flawed psyche belonging to a man who should not be in office. Social media will surely continue to be a medium to judge our nation’s government by in the coming years, and all we as citizens can do is watch, continue speaking out, and stay united.
