It appears the incoming White House chief-of-staff Susie Wiles is on the job ensuring the well-being of members of the Trump team.
According to a memo obtained by the New York Post, Wiles instructed Trump’s nominees who are up for Senate confirmation to refrain from social media use:
‘While this instruction has been delivered previously, I am reiterating that no member of the incoming administration or Transition speaks for the United States or the President-elect himself…
Accordingly, all intended nominees should refrain from any public social media posts without prior approval of the incoming White House counsel….’
Some of Trump’s cabinet picks have been subjected to smears and attacks by the Democrats, and their propaganda wing that masquerades as the mainstream media.
The New York Post, citing a member of the Trump transition team, revealed that this Wiles memo wasn’t issued in response to the recent social media chaos over H-1B visas involving Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chairs Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy and some Trump supporters.
This move by Susie Wiles is reminiscent of a headmistress demanding order and discipline from her students ahead of an important school event.
Let’s dig deeper.
Social media has been largely a boon for free speech absolutists and those keen to learn the unvarnished facts.
But it can also be an absolute bane.
Social media firms usually offer their services for free, which means they earn their profit due to user engagement.
The algorithms are hence designed to keep the user on the platform for as long as possible.
Prolonged use of social media can cause a series of problems ranging from damage to eyesight to psychological harm.
Social media doesn’t always reflect public opinion.
PR firms can be hired to push trends, and users assume it is the opinion of the general public; how often do we make spurious claims and defend gullibility with, “But I read it on social media!”
Social media can also increase division and boost the creation of echo chambers because people tend to follow those with whom they are in absolute agreement. The formation of these online tribes causes people to attempt to outdo each other to prove their loyalty to the cause and to seek attention.
Opinions are stripped of nuance and presented superficially, and people purposefully post content that will cause outrage because it increases engagement, and in some cases boosts subscriptions. This is the means of livelihood for “social media influencers” and they easily stoop to any extent for attention and revenue. They could lie, engage in hoaxes, or make the most outrageous claims just to cause a “viral” moment that causes infamy or notoriety, but certainly boosts revenue. This behavior usually incurs the wrath and disdain of regular people.
But what we are witnessing in recent times is many people in power have adopted the “social media influencer” behavior.
We see politicians use social media not to communicate with voters but to carefully craft an image that impresses voters.
During hearings, they engage in theatrics, knowing that clips will be circulated on social media.
They appear on television and put on a show to impress their voters, irrespective of whether it is factual.
They even make reels like influencers and engage in stunts to impress voters:
Being a politician has been reduced to a performative art.
The likes of AOC are absolute masters of this deception.
For Trump nominees, this is a tough phase; they are relentlessly subjected to smears based on falsehoods.
Pete Hegseth has been called a womanizer and a drunkard, Tulsi Gabbard was branded a Russian asset, and RFK Jr. was called a dangerous conspiracy theorist who will cause ruin.
Democrat operatives on social media will attempt to trigger these nominees on social media to elicit a response. Perhaps their rage gets the better of some nominees, and they end up making claims that will eventually hurt them.
This is another drawback of social media—the internet never forgets.
When an individual is addressing a large gathering, one is aware of the people and the possible impact.
But posting on social media is a private experience; one can post from the privacy of one’s home, even in one’s bathtub, without comprehending the damage it causes.
At times a thought isn’t fully formed, and one posts content based on instinct, or in a heated moment following an attack that one regrets later.
Quite often people have suffered due to foolish and needless social media posts.
Hence mandated restraint at this point is good.
One wonders why this wasn’t enforced sooner.
Let the nominees mount their defense where it matters — during Senate hearings. It may be a good idea for all Trump administration personnel to practice restraint on social media during Trump’s tenure.
There needs to be a disciplined and coordinated effort by members to push Trump’s message, reflect his record, and counter D.C. and media falsehoods.
The last thing President Trump needs is needless hassles from attention-seeking “social media influencers” on his team.
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Image: Public domain.
This article was originally published at www.americanthinker.com
