ABSTRACT
President Donald Trump’s use of a private Twitter account for both personal and what some would say official business has opened up an entire new area of presidential studies and media relations. Without the “middleman” of a news outlet to frame questions or juxtapose responses for public consumption, the public is getting a torrent of presidential sentiment on everything from North Korean nuclear tests to kneeling during the national anthem at National Football League games. Is it an erratic behavior of a president as his detractors claim, or does he use tweets as public barometer, media strategy, or as a negotiation tool? This has intrigued the nation and been a source of never-ending entertainment to his political base as well as a non-stop irritation to his political enemies. The research conducted here attempts to find answers to a basic question: What motivates or gives a moment of pause to the president in his use of social media?
