Tweeter-in-Chief

We all know that Donald Trump is an unconventional politician and will be an unconventional president. That is not necessarily a bad thing nor is it necessarily a good thing. It depends on what he does with that unconventional behavior.

This post is about the power of Twitter or other social media in the hands of the president. I won't even touch on the potential for problems related to foreign policy whether intentional or by accident. Let's just concentrate on the domestic business ramifications today. I'm sure I'll revisit the potential for real international effects in the future  

It appears that Mr. Trump is unaware or doesn't care about the damage or boost his tweets can do. He has tweeted about several corporations as president-elect and prsident. Those tweets have had a significant impact on the stock prices of those companies. At least for the time being, the market reacts to Trump's tweets. While I'm not overly concerned with the negative financial impact on the fat-cat stockholders or corporate officers, there are thousand of small investors also affected. People's 401k's, pension funds, index funds and small individual investors take the hit too. 

I find this disturbing on a couple of levels. Much of what Trump tweets is not based on fact or anything real. They appear to be random thoughts and knee-jerk reactions. The other concern is the opportunity for abuse. Trump, bad actors who have access to his Twitter account or hackers can use this influence to make fortunes in the stock market. It appears that if any company or corporate CEO says or does anything Trump dislikes, there will be a nasty tweet. Likewise, if someone or some corporation strokes his ego, they get glowing praise.

With Trump's ability to sway the markets and his global holdings, I see a very good four years for his family and cronies. Real or imagined conflicts of interest will come up almost daily. 

Trump International Hotel

Trump has not sufficiently separated himself from his businesses and interests to eliminate the likelihood that his statements affect his holdings and income. His immediate family is still running those businesses. It isn't feasible to think that a little company talk won't come up during family gatherings. What most influences his actions? Is he first and foremost president of the United States, president of Trump Organization or president of the Trump family? Cronies and business associates also figure into the equation.

Trump has kept his old personal Twitter account @realDonaldTrump and inherited the official presidential account @POTUS. Since the inauguration, he has used both accounts. It will be interesting to see whether he uses the two accounts differently. 

Tweeting to communicate to the American people is fine. Tweeting to bolster or punish corporations or individuals is not. Tweeting to enhance and enrich your brand may be criminal.

This is just one more change, among a host of them, to the landscape of how our president goes about governing the country. 

Buckle up.

-30-