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Barack Obama Gives Twitter Advice - But Is It Aimed At Donald Trump?

Barack Obama Gives Twitter Advice - But Is It Aimed At Donald Trump?

Obama is believed to have taken a veiled pop at Donald Trump at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit

Chris Ogden

Chris Ogden

US President Donald Trump is already one of the most divisive presidents there has ever been in the United States.

One of the biggest reasons that Trump is such a controversial figure is his famous social media output, which has attracted extra scrutiny since he entered office back in February.

Now his predecessor Barack Obama has demonstrated an alternative way of using the site, however, as he gave an audience in India advice on how not to post online.


"Think before you tweet," he told the crowd at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi a few days ago. "Don't say the first thing that pops into your head. Have a bit of an edit function."

Obama praised the power of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, while also warning against their pitfalls, and many have interpreted this as a veiled dig at Trump.


However, Obama's critics were less impressed with his suggestion:

"All these various platforms are extraordinarily powerful tools," continued the former president. "And those tools can be used for good and those tools can be used for ill.

"I think it's important to be mindful of both the power of these tools but also its limits."

Trump's use of Twitter has provided plenty of fuel for both his supporters and his detractors, although perhaps his most unexpected moment came in May of this year when social media users queried whether he had shared the nuclear missile codes.

covfefe
covfefe

Credit: Twitter

On 31 May, the President tweeted: "Despite the constant negative press covfefe".

The cryptic tweet was deleted within a matter of hours, but not before speculation had spread that the mysterious phrase 'covfefe' meant the President had accidentally posted the nuclear missile codes.

However, Trump later posted: "Who can figure out the true meaning of 'covfefe'??? Enjoy!", suggesting it was simply a typo - and that he was happy for people to make a joke at his own expense.

Credit: PA

At the Leadership Summit, Obama went on to point out that he has "more [followers] than other people who use it more often" - which some have interpreted as a dig at his successor.

'Your mother and father knew better," Obama added. "Listen to them. Don't do things like that. Think before you speak, think before you tweet."

Sounds like useful advice for us all.

Featured Image Credit: PA

Topics: online, Instagram, Tweets, News, White House, Social Media, US News, President, Facebook, Twitter, Donald Trump, Barack Obama