US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called "incredibly effective means" of communication of the message of the American leader Donald trump on Twitter. He stated this when speaking in the city of Charleston (South Carolina).

“I know President Trump well ... I watch him deliver information. In the old days, this was done through (official. - RT ) press statements, press releases, or someone gave a press conference from a rostrum in the West wing of the White House. President Trump does this via Twitter. Thus, he can convey his thoughts to the whole world in an instant. This is an incredibly effective means of communication, ”said Pompeo.

According to him, thanks to this communication channel, Washington allegedly receives reaction very quickly from the leaders of other states.

“The world leaders of it (Donald Trump Twitter. - RT ) read. We get a response from them very, very quickly. This is the case when he (President Trump. - RT) has the opportunity to very quickly influence the information field of military operations. In my opinion, this opportunity to communicate ideas without intermediaries, when no one stands between the decree of the president or his agenda and the end user of information, has great potential and is extremely useful in our work, ”said the US Secretary of State.

Recall, Trump actively leads the page on Twitter, often posting his decisions on certain issues of the domestic and international agenda. In addition, the head of the White House often addresses posts to politicians in other countries.

  • US President Donald Trump
  • Reuters
  • © Andrew Kelly

In July 2017, the American leader said that, despite calls to stop activities on social networks, he will continue to write on Twitter. Trump said this in a conversation with The New York Times Magazine journalist Mark Leibowitz.

“This is my voice ... they can’t make me stop using social networks,” the US president said.

Prior to this, Trump called the use of such platforms on the network the style of work of the “president of today.”

Activity phenomenon

According to political analyst Alexander Asafov, Pompeo, in his own words, is trying to explain the phenomenon of Trump’s activity on Twitter.

“However, the statement by the US Secretary of State on the effectiveness of the actions of the head of the White House in this social network sounds unconvincing. After all, Trump's microblogging is not an instrument of diplomatic and political communication with other world leaders. This is just an instrument of public self-presentation familiar to the American leader, ”the expert noted in a conversation with RT.

Asafov also said that the head of the White House uses this method of communication with the outside world, since it is an "eccentric nature."

“Trump, through Twitter, is trying to declare war, terminate trade and other agreements previously reached by the Americans, threaten, dictate his will, joke and curse journalists,” the analyst said.

At the same time, Asafov emphasizes that the head of the White House uses his microblogging as a "political tool."

“Even at the pre-election stage in 2016, Trump was actually disconnected from the American media network, as the media belonging to his opponents sharply criticized the future president. At the same time, Trump's Twitter was much more popular than the publications that supported him. The microblog of the American leader has remained a way of direct communication with the world, where he reports on his political will, ”said the expert.

  • US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
  • Reuters
  • © Hannibal Hanschke

However, Trump's microblog cannot be regarded as a diplomatic channel, Asafov believes.

“The means of communication of world leaders are provided for by various diplomatic protocols - including phone calls, meetings at various venues. These methods of communication are strictly regulated, subject to strict rules in order to prevent interpretation errors that can lead to fatal consequences, ”the analyst explained.

According to an expert at the International Institute for Humanitarian and Political Studies, Vladimir Bruter, Trump's Twitter posts can lead to problems in international relations, because they are sometimes too emotional and thoughtless.

“This social network is not a serious or in-depth medium of information. Short reports by the White House head on Twitter suggest that the American side is not capable of a reaction that is analytical and predictable. She is too emotional and quick, which causes problems in international relations, ”the analyst said in an interview with RT.

Bruther also pointed out that international problems on whose solution people's lives depend should not be resolved in this way.

“You can’t solve the problem of withdrawing troops from Syria online. First, Trump single-handedly takes this step, and then they explain to him that this should not be done, and the head of the White House begins to win back. This poses a certain threat to the whole world, because it gives rise to unpredictability. There should not be such steps at the international level, ”the expert emphasized.

"Catch Signals from Washington"

According to analysts, the constant monitoring of the activities of the American leader on Twitter is carried out by the heads of only those states that are satellites of the United States. Leaders of other countries “have enough of their direct responsibilities,” analysts say.

Recall that in October, Russian President Vladimir Putin said in an interview with RT Arabic, Sky News and Al Arabiya that he was not following Trump on Twitter.

“Sorry, I myself do not have any Twitter, I do not follow this. Of course, from time to time my employees report. The opinion of the President of the United States is always important, it always matters to very many, to the world as a whole. But I don’t read it myself, ”the Russian leader noted.

  • President of Russia Vladimir Putin
  • RIA News
  • © Sergey Guneev

Ex-head of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, who recently left his post, ambiguously reacted to Trump’s activity on Twitter. In May 2017, he joked with the owner of the White House because of his love for this social network.

“I hope that he has not yet sent a tweet to my account,” RIA Novosti quotes Juncker’s answer to the question about his impressions after meeting with Trump.

According to Alexander Asafov, only "US satellites catch any signals from Washington."

“They are trying to interpret Trump's tweets based on their interests. The microblog of the American leader can be an effective means of communication only for countries loyal to the United States, which are subordinate to Washington, ”the expert emphasized.

At the same time, the opinion that Trump's social media posts can act as an instrument of political interaction with “serious international players” looks “quite funny”.

“The major world leaders of other countries do not have the time and opportunity to read Trump’s Twitter,” the analyst said.

Twitter diplomacy

According to experts, Trump’s numerous “original” Twitter messages are part of the so-called Twitter diplomacy that has become widespread not only in the United States, but throughout the world. Analysts also pointed to the negative impact of this trend on international politics.

Recall, Trump has repeatedly surprised the whole world with his posts on this social network. So, in May 2017, the American leader posted on Twitter a message that ended with the obscure word “covfefe”. Platform users have put forward various assumptions about the meaning of this "concept." There was even a version of a secret signal to the Russian special services. The post was deleted only five hours after publication.

A little earlier, Trump also posted an unusual tweet, writing in it only the word We (we).

After these reports, US Democrat Congressman Mike Quigley introduced a bill called “covfefe,” according to which all Trump posts on social networks will need to be archived for further reporting. According to Quigley, the rationale for the adoption of such a bill is "the regular and unfiltered use of trump personal account on Twitter."

"His Twitter posts are very important, the president must be responsible for each of his posts," Quigley told the Associated Press.

However, the fashion for Twitter-diplomacy is not unique to the United States, analysts say. This is evidenced by the data of the Twiplomacy portal, which publishes research in the field of digital diplomacy.

In the ranking “The Most Influential World Leaders”, compiled based on the average number of retweets of world leader posts for 2018, the first place is occupied by the king of Saudi Arabia, Salman bin Abdel-Aziz Al Saud, the second - by Donald Trump, and the Prime Minister New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern.

As noted by Alexander Asafov, many political leaders are “trying to imitate” Trump.

“They begin to write open appeals and messages using the methods and rhetoric of the US president. Being trump on Twitter is not a very successful strategy, but one way or another, many world leaders are looking for new ways to communicate using electronic services. For example, the Ukrainian political leadership also contacts the world through Facebook, ”the expert believes.

  • AFP
  • © Alastair Pike

At the same time, according to Asafov, Trump uses the mechanisms of Twitter-diplomacy to conduct information warfare.

“He uses these elements of information warfare, which have a strong influence on international politics,” the analyst said.

Asafov also noted that all this creates the basis for the spread of Twitter diplomacy outside the country.

“This mechanism has been effectively applied in a series of political processes such as the Arab Spring. That is, it is in fact a weapon of direct influence on objectionable US regimes. Then Twitter accounts of the main departments of the State Department and American embassies supported the protesters, influenced the informational picture and the social climate in society. Attacks of this kind have been and remain largely synchronized, coordinated. They represent one of the elements of the information war, ”the expert concluded.