Published 16:02 IST, September 19th 2019
Obama takes a dig at Trump: 'Presidents should avoid TV, social media'
Former US President Barrack Obama attended a technology event in the White House on September 18 and appeared to take a swipe at President Donald Trump.
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Former US President Barack Obama attended a technology event in the White House on September 18 and appeared to take a swipe at President Donald Trump as he said that he would advise Presidents to avoid social media and cable news. The private event was hosted by data company Splunk where Obama explained how he has approached the job which includes 3000 political appointments and advised the incumbent President to avoid watching TV or reading social media is not helpful. He said those are the two things he would suggest to stay away from because it creates a lot of noise and covers up one's judgment.
President Trump frequently spends time on Twitter
President Trump spends time frequently on Twitter and has been known to watch hours of cable news daily. During the one-hour-long chat he never directly referred to Trump or his administration. He touted the importance of building a solid team to stay informed. The administration resembles drinking out of a flame hose – you can't assimilate that data yourself, he said. He added that the other thing that is not useful is sitting in front of the TV or perusing online networking, he included, to chuckling from the group. Those are two things he would prompt, in case you're President, not to do.
Trump tweeted 284 times a month over for the last six months
The criticism appeared to have targeted at Trump who is known to spend time on Twitter and obsessed with cable news channels of how they portray him. According to the Hill Reports, Trump tweeted 284 times a month over the last six months with a significant increase from the past months. The report revealed despite the increase in frequency, Trump is getting less engagement on his posts today. Obama's visit to San Francisco comes days after Trump's very own stop in the Bay Area, where he raised battle assets at a private occasion. Obama said spending a lot of time on social media platforms and focusing on how polls and media portray you ultimately results in difficulty to run the country effectively. Obama also discussed misinformation campaigns, problems technology can solve, basketball and also his recent meeting with the young climate activist Greta Thunberg, whom he mentioned fascinating. Obama gave warnings about social media's impact and said he was concerned about the division and polarization he thought was escalated by the platforms.
13:23 IST, September 19th 2019