Trump's tweets about MSNBC's Mika Brzezinski would get most people fired, experts say


On Thursday morning, President Trump tweeted out some gross comments about MSNBC's Morning Joe cohost Mika Brzezinski, apparently because she made fun of his framed fake Time magazine covers (not that he watches Morning Joe anymore!), and the tweets were not well-received, generally. In case you were offline all Thursday, or it was "beneath your dignity" to engage with the president's mean tweets, CNN has a quick summary.
Trump faced sometimes scathing reprimands from Republican lawmakers, TV commentators, and blue-checkmark Twitter for his tweets, but if he were in any other job, he would likely be sacked, workforce and social media experts tell The Associated Press. "Mr. Trump would be fired for his tweets of today, and nearly every day," Mike Driehorst, a social media expert at the marketing firm Weaving Influence, tells AP. "Most companies have a thin skin when it comes to public criticism and media reports." You can complain about work on Twitter, legally speaking, adds employment lawyer Nannina Angioni, but if "you take to Twitter to call your boss a 'psycho' or say that your CEO has a 'low I.Q.' that could absolutely get you fired."
The fact that Trump is the boss wouldn't necessarily protect him, either. "Any good outside crisis adviser would tell the company's board that they have no choice but to terminate the CEO," said Hofstra University public relations expert Kara Alaimo. "Today, more than ever before, citizens expect companies to espouse and uphold values." Every company has different policies about social media, AP notes, some more lenient than others, but federal agencies like the General Services Administration prohibit "engaging in vulgar or abusive language, personal attacks of any kind, or offensive terms targeting individuals or groups." You can read some examples of people fired over their social media posts at AP.
Subscribe to 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.
People have also been kicked off Twitter for abusive tweets, but Twitter's harassment rules "leave plenty of grey area," CNN reports. "We don't comment on individual accounts, for privacy and security reasons," a Twitter spokesperson told CNN when it asked how close Trump's tweets get him to violating the company's rules. "I'm sure the Twitter team loathes how the product is being used by Trump," a former Twitter executive tells CNN, adding, "If they suspend his account, they'll have to do this consistently with other harassment accounts, which is impossible."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Book reviews: ‘Red Scare: Blacklists, McCarthyism, and the Making of Modern America’ and ‘How to End a Story: Collected Diaries, 1978–1998’
Feature A political ‘witch hunt’ and Helen Garner’s journal entries
By The Week US Published
-
The backlash against ChatGPT's Studio Ghibli filter
The Explainer The studio's charming style has become part of a nebulous social media trend
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Why are student loan borrowers falling behind on payments?
Today's Big Question Delinquencies surge as the Trump administration upends the program
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Markets notch worst quarter in years as new tariffs loom
Speed Read The S&P 500 is on track for its worst month since 2022 as investors brace for Trump's tariffs
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Tesla Cybertrucks recalled over dislodging panels
Speed Read Almost every Cybertruck in the US has been recalled over a stainless steel panel that could fall off
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Crafting emporium Joann is going out of business
Speed Read The 82-year-old fabric and crafts store will be closing all 800 of its stores
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Trump's China tariffs start after Canada, Mexico pauses
Speed Read The president paused his tariffs on America's closest neighbors after speaking to their leaders, but his import tax on Chinese goods has taken effect
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Chinese AI chatbot's rise slams US tech stocks
Speed Read The sudden popularity of a new AI chatbot from Chinese startup DeepSeek has sent U.S. tech stocks tumbling
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
US port strike averted with tentative labor deal
Speed Read The strike could have shut down major ports from Texas to Maine
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Biden expected to block Japanese bid for US Steel
Speed Read The president is blocking the $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel by Japan's Nippon Steel, citing national security concerns
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Judges block $25B Kroger-Albertsons merger
Speed Read The proposed merger between the supermarket giants was stalled when judges overseeing two separate cases blocked the deal
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published