Can Hillary Clinton out-tweet Donald Trump?
When Hillary Clinton told Donald Trump on Thursday to delete his Twitter account, invoking a well-worn social media jab, it was a long time coming, according to a report by Politico published Friday.
Donald Trump's social media prowess has been widely covered during the 2016 election, as the mogul's unabashed (and at times, unedited) use of the micro-blogging platform has allowed him to respond to rumors instantaneously, shape the media narrative, brand his opponents unforgettably, and engage with his millions of followers. And while Trump has been an avid Twitter user since 2009, Clinton only joined the site in 2013.
So how does Team Clinton plan to beat Trump at his own game? The Clinton campaign apparently stockpiles GIFs, videos, and other media, keeping the materials on deck so that they can be deployed at a moment's notice. When Clinton gave a no-holds-barred speech on June 2 attacking Trump, for example, her campaign bet that Trump wouldn't be able to resist calling out Clinton on Twitter. They were right, and Clinton's account quickly sent out a ready-made list refuting Trump's rebuttal.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"The Clinton campaign is particularly good at planning to be spontaneous," Twitter spokesman Nick Pacilio told Politico — which sounds perfectly Hillary Clinton-esque. Read the whole breakdown of Hillary Clinton's social media strategy at Politico.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Kimberly Alters is the news editor at TheWeek.com. She is a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University.
-
Homes with great fireplacesFeature Featuring a suspended fireplace in Washington and two-sided Parisian fireplace in Florida
-
Is $140,000 the real poverty line?Feature Financial hardship is wearing Americans down, and the break-even point for many families keeps rising
-
Film reviews: ‘The Secret Agent’ and ‘Zootopia 2’Feature A Brazilian man living in a brutal era seeks answers and survival and Judy and Nick fight again for animal justice
-
Trump’s Comey case dealt new setbackspeed read A federal judge ruled that key evidence could not be used in an effort to reindict former FBI Director James Comey
-
Moscow cheers Trump’s new ‘America First’ strategyspeed read The president’s national security strategy seeks ‘strategic stability’ with Russia
-
Trump tightens restrictions for work visasSpeed Read The length of work permits for asylum seekers and refugees has been shortened from five years to 18 months
-
Supreme Court revives Texas GOP gerrymanderSpeed Read Texas Republicans can use the congressional map they approved in August at President Donald Trump’s behest
-
Boat strike footage rattles some lawmakersSpeed Read ‘Disturbing’ footage of the Sept. 2 attack on an alleged drug-trafficking boat also shows the second strike that killed two survivors who were clinging to the wreckage
-
Trump boosts gas cars in fuel economy rollbackspeed read Watering down fuel efficiency standards is another blow to former President Biden’s effort to boost electric vehicles
-
Hegseth’s Signal chat put troops in peril, probe findsSpeed Read The defense secretary risked the lives of military personnel and violated Pentagon rules, says new report
-
Trump pardons Texas Democratic congressmanspeed read Rep. Henry Cuellar was charged with accepting foreign bribes tied to Azerbaijan and Mexico
