There have been mixed feelings about Donald Trump’s election since he was voted into office in 2017. Since then, he has been a very active speaker through social media, voicing his opinions and beliefs unapologetically. Many are well aware of his online presence due to his use of sites like Twitter. His taste for Twitter has been apparent since before the presidency and hasn’t died down after becoming the president. As his third year in office continues, some Youtube users have noticed there is yet another channel to hit their feed. That’s right, President Trump is a Youtuber.
President Trump’s videos date back to four months ago. It’s a news channel, hosted by Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law Lara Trump, a television producer and campaign adviser for his candidacy. Live feeds from his rallies as well as regular updates on Donald Trump and his accomplishments are posted, titled either “Real News Insights” or “Real News Updates.” The agenda of this Youtube channel is apparent in every video when the intro says, “Fight fake news, drain the swamp, with Lara Trump.” It was created in hopes of combating “fake news” reported against President Trump. Subjects such as the border, ICE raids, and his reelection have been covered. He has over 207K subscribers on Youtube and a heavily involved fanbase that keeps up on his posts. Supporters of the channel and the news updates praise him for making it possible that “real news” still be released. Comments such as “Trump is the best president,” “Thank you for saving the country, President Trump,” and “The only haters are trolls,” sprinkle the comment section since the first videos. Other political figures and Trump supporters have also made an appearance on “Real News Insights.” Interviews with people such as Matt Schlapp, Jason Meister, Natalie Harp, Steve Moore, and others have been featured.
Although President Trump is getting a substantial amount of positive feedback through Youtube, there’s also the question of what he is planning to accomplish from having a news channel. Though it is News and Politics, there are a few contradictions due to the opinions in his videos. Trump has made biased comments against the Democratic party and those in it. Even if the public is aware that he is a Republican, some of his content could be considered propaganda. The question of whether or not President Trump is attempting to convince the public to believe one side rather than another is valid. His distaste towards the Democratic party can be seen in his descriptions below his videos. Emphasized messages such as “The radical, left-wing socialists have taken over the Democrat Party,” “Democrats are putting politics over country,” and “Democrats will oppose anything I want, but I want what the American people want, and that’s border security!” mark the description under his updates.
An issue with this channel is that even if he has the right to what he is saying, he could be compromising the professionalism of his candidacy. Since President Trump made the Youtube channel as a personal account and not through POTUS, the majority of his content is protected by his speech rights. Where the lines begin to be gray is when the information in his channel is selective yet portrayed as the only source of “real news” since he stops being a reporter and now becomes someone targeting other media. His Real News Insights/ Updates focuses on his accomplishments. This channel allows Trump to spotlight the good being done in his presidency. “His account favors the good and that’s where it begins to get into propaganda, when he is leaving out information but claiming it’s the only ‘real news’ out there” says David Marsh, a law teacher at Franklin High School. It would be understandable if he were to make vlogs about his personal life, many enjoy a good Youtuber posting daily updates about their life. However, when it’s a news channel, the content does become questionable when you’re claiming a monopoly on truth.
President Trump has made many headline worthy decisions during his presidency. After all, he is the head of the United States. His presence on Youtube, though, is considerably one of the most interesting. The next time you stumble upon Youtube, you may even find yourself drawn to his channel out of curiosity. His splashing personality and outspokenness have inspired hundreds of thousands of Trump supporters to click the subscribe button. Maybe you’ll find yourself feeling the same way. Perhaps you won’t and will disregard his vlogging presence. Either way, the president of the United States will still be signing off tonight as a Youtuber.
