Donald Trump: A Man of Characters: The Daily Show

- May 4, 2009.
We didn't know it then,
but it was a date that changed the world.
The day a visionary billionaire
logged onto a upstart messaging website,
typed out a plug for his upcoming appearance
on David Letterman and hit send.
It was Donald Trump's first tweet.
And while, obviously, he used the name
of the wrong Letterman show, it was still breathtaking.
(patriotic music)
Twitter was the ideal medium for future President Trump.
Immediate, no filter, grammar super optional.
And seeing its earthshaking potential,
Trump used Twitter to communicate
only his most important thoughts.
Thoughts such as, the Mar-a-Lago Club
has the best meatloaf in America.
Tasty, maralagoclub.com.
I have never seen a thin person drinking Diet Coke.
And of course, how did you like
Michelle Obama's bangs last night?
As his influence grew, Trump used Twitter
to build community, offering an olive branch
to his enemies on America's most sacred day.
- [News Anchor] I'd like to extend my best wishes
to all, even the haters and losers,
on this special date, September 11th.
- They hate ya 'cause they ain't ya.
9/11, never forget.
By the mid 20-teens, Twitter had come into its own.
Yet, when most users were still happy
sharing photos of their breakfast
or sometimes their boners, Trump was innovating.
He discovered what only thousands had before him.
A way around Twitters stifling character limit.
By tweeting not just once at a time,
but more than once, the tweet storm was born.
- With his follower count surging,
Trump would now harness the power of Twitter
to fuel his political rise.
What started as just asking questions
about whether the United States president
was born in the United States
blossomed into a full blown run for the White House.
And the media awaited each Trump campaign tweet
like the hungry bitches they are.
- [Anchorman] Donald Trump tonight,
the tweet with his taco bowls.
- We have breaking news, Donald Trump is tweeting something
right now.
- A Twitter tirade.
- Has he been tweeting again this morning, I just heard?
- Yes, he has been tweeting again this morning.
- [Anchor Woman] I was just told in my ear,
we have yet another tweet.
- Another tweet from Trump?
- Yet another tweet.
- I can hear right now, Donald Trump's fingers
on a text machine right now, tweeting something.
- Fake news, A.C., there's no such thing
as a text machine.
I expect more from a man with silver pubes.
Yes, the media couldn't get enough Trump,
and neither could America.
His candidacy flourished, his time ever more in demand.
Yet Donald Trump kept going, often retweeting those
whom society had marginalized.
Such as white supremacists, neo-nazi's,
basically anyone with a Pepe the frog avatar.
November 8, 2016.
Twitter helped Trump cruise to an easy victory
over Hillary Clinton, defeating her
in the electoral college and the popular vote,
once you don't count millions of made-up illegal votes.
Or black people.
Would the weight of the presidency change Donald Trump?
Not even a little.
After taking office, the 70 year old Trump
kept tweeting with the vigor
of a person 60 years his junior,
because America demanded it.
- Let me ask you, should I keep the Twitter going or not?
Keep it going?
I think so, I think so.
- And so Trump continues his tweeting to this day,
a sacrifice that he makes for the American people.
- Look, I don't like tweeting.
I have other things I could be doing.
- Of course he has other things he could be doing,
he's the president.
Every minute he spends tweeting
is a minute he could have spent--
(indistinct chatter)
furthering America's diplomatic interests.
It took six years and 35,000 tweets
for Trump to get where he is today.
Did he make mistakes?
Sure.
But as he sits in the very historical Oval Office,
ordering diet soft drinks at the press of a button,
President Donald Trump knows the hashtag truth.
- He said that he does not regret anything,
especially the things that he says on Twitter,
and he also says that he believes
that without Twitter, he would not be president.
- But president he is, and if we're lucky,
President Trump will continue tweeting
long into his second term.
And his third.
And his fourth.
So thank you, Mr. President.
And thank you, Twitter.
All of this is because of you.
(upbeat music)

Donald Trump: A Man of Characters: The Daily Show

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