How to tell if Trump’s tweets are actually from himself

U.S. President Donald Trump is a super star on Twitter with 57.5 million people following his account (@realDonaldTrump) as of Wednesday. Sometimes he tweets dozens of times a day on major issues, such as decisions on key policies or replacement of high-ranking officials. Does he send all those tweets by himself? No. U.S. news media, including The New York Times, reported that some of the staff at the White House, including Trump's social media director Dan Scavino, are behind the president’s tweets.

One of the clues that tell you if a tweet really came from Trump himself is the use of the site’s features. It is almost impossible for President Trump, who is not exactly tech savvy, to attach an image or video, use a hashtag (#), or thread his tweets. It is known that Trump only knows how to use an @-symbol, which allows a user to tag another Twitter account.

Another clue is the time. Trump arrives at the Oval Office at around 10 a.m. and leaves at around 6 p.m. every day, according to the staff at the White House. It is highly likely that a tweet sent either late at night or early in the morning is from the president himself, all the more so if it contains spelling errors without images or videos attached. On the other hand, if a tweet is written during office hours on weekdays, it is from White House staff.

Director Scavino is closely related to President Trump’s Twitter account. Scavino accompanies Trump everywhere he goes and tweets for Trump. Sometimes he writes down what Trump says or gives Trump three to four options to choose from. In particular, most of the tweets relating to President Trump’s schedule are from Scavino, according to The New York Times.


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