Elections

‘Be a leader, not a tweeter,’ voters tell Donald Trump in new poll

By William Douglas

wdouglas@mcclatchydc.com

November 22, 2016 12:36 PM

President-elect Donald Trump calls out to media as he poses for photos with BET founder Robert Johnson at the Trump National Golf Club Bedminster clubhouse, Sunday, Nov. 20, 2016, in Bedminster, N.J. Carolyn Kaster AP
WASHINGTON

Forget overhauling health care and revamping the nation’s immigration system. Most Americans want President-elect Donald Trump to personally take on a bigger effort: Stop tweeting.

A new Quinnipiac poll Tuesday found that 59 percent of voters want Trump to shut down his personal Twitter account while 35 percent say he should keep typing away.

“Voters tell President-elect Donald Trump, ‘You’ve got the job. Now be a leader, not a tweeter,’ ” said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac Poll.

November 22, 2016
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Trump unleashed tweets of fury during the Republican primaries and general election, lashing out at his Republican foes, the GOP establishment, Hillary Clinton and the media in 140 characters or fewer.

He was prone to 3 a.m. tweet storms, late-night missives and sometimes controversial weekend observations.

Trump’s all-Twitter all-the-time habit got so bad that campaign manager Kellyanne Conway reportedly yanked his social media access in the days leading to the presidential election. Conway has denied the claim.

Despite being immersed in assembling his Cabinet, Trump has found time to tweet early and often.

November 20, 2016
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He engaged in a tweet storm with the cast and crew of the hit Broadway musical “Hamilton,” demanding an apology after its cast expressed concerns about the incoming administration to Vice President-elect Mike Pence, who attended the show Friday.

Trump took to Twitter on Tuesday to bash The New York Times, one of his favorite targets, for what he considers unfair coverage. He initially canceled a meeting with the publisher and journalists from the newspaper Tuesday, but later changed his mind.

William Douglas: 202-383-6026, @williamgdouglas