While many political leaders make comments on social media, the current President of the United States, Donald Trump, chooses his words very poorly. There is a New York Times list of people, places and things Donald Trump has insulted on Twitter, and it adds up to a whopping 598 misuses of social media.
Rob Reiner, a celebrated director and actor most known for his work on “The Princess Bride,” was recently stabbed to death along with his wife, Michele Singer Reiner. On Dec. 14, 2025, both Reiners were pronounced dead. On Dec. 15, 2025, Trump released a statement regarding the Reiners, where he referred to Riener as “tortured and struggling” and having a “raging obsession” with the President, causing a “massive, unyielding, and incurable affliction with a mind crippling disease known as TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME.”
The BBC explains that Trump often uses the term “Trump Derangement Syndrome” to address his critics. Reiner was a liberal activist who often spoke out against Trump, which explains Trump’s negative and degrading comments toward Reiner.
This comment raised concerns about the President’s misuse of social media. According to Adam Gabbatt from The Guardian, Trump uses social media quite differently from other political leaders. Gabbatt categorized the president’s posts into three groups – attacking perceived foes, reposting praise and posting no-context videos of himself. He has received criticism from both major political parties as well as the public, especially on his statement about the Reiners’ deaths. A poll from The Hill explains that 72% of Americans, 55% of Republicans and 90% of Democrats, found Trump’s statement inappropriate.
Trump founded his own social media platform called Truth Social where he makes most of his statements, including the one about the Reiners. In early February, Trump posted an AI-generated video to Truth Social depicting Barack Obama and Michelle Obama as apes, which was deleted 12 hours later. After being asked by the BBC if he plans on apologizing, Trump stated “I didn’t make a mistake.”
Trump’s comments are a misuse of social media and a contributing factor to political polarization. His remarks can also be confusing. Gabbat from The Guardian included another inappropriate comment, “THIS WILL BE THE GOLDEN AGE OF AMERICA! WILL THERE BE SOME PAIN? YES, MAYBE (AND MAYBE NOT!). BUT WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, AND IT WILL ALL BE WORTH THE PRICE THAT MUST BE PAID. WE ARE A COUNTRY THAT IS NOW BEING RUN WITH COMMON SENSE – AND THE RESULTS WILL BE SPECTACULAR!!!” In this quote, Trump is referring to the economy and trade. However you wouldn’t guess that at first glance.
Using social media in this form is unprofessional. While some other political leaders like Barack Obama use social media, it has never been used in this way. Nobody should use social media to slander murdered celebrities or racially mock former presidents, especially not our current president. This is increasing division and hatred between Democrats and Republicans. Democrats see Republicans as racist homophobes, and Democrats are seen as uppity and “too woke”. Trump’s hateful comments only increase this political polarization.
