Trump is FDR

President Donald J. Trump outdistanced even the great and revered democratic icon, President Franklin D. Roosevelt, in revolutionizing a new medium and maximizing his audience.For Roosevelt, it was in the midst of the Great Depression at the start of his presidency when he gave his first "Fireside Chat," over broadcast radio. It reached all corners of the nation, and he was on topic."Confidence and courage are the essentials of success in carrying out our plan. You people must have faith; you must not be stampeded by rumors or guesses. Let us unite in banishing fear. We have provided the machinery to restore our financial system; it is up to you to support and make it work. It is your problem no less than it is mine. Together we cannot fail." — FDR, March 12, 1933For Trump, when he made his first comment on Twitter on May 4, 2009, he was mired in his fourth bankruptcy. "Be sure to tune in and watch Donald Trump on Late Night with David Letterman as he presents the Top Ten List tonight," the man who would become the leader of the free world years later, in the strangest of presidential elections, declared in his first-ever Tweet.Trump eventually turned to politics, defying naysayers across the country who for years dismissed a presidential run by the developer/entertainer as fantasy, saying he would never have any chance at gaining a foothold among the electorate. He sure proved them wrong. FDR and Trump both accomplished enormous feats in communicating with the American public with great impact. For better or worse, Trump has matched or surpassed Roosevelt's ability to talk to Americans. FDR's format, gathering families in living rooms and broadcasting nationwide over radio, was a one-way form of communication. He talked to them and they listened. For Trump, on Twitter, everyone on the social media platform talks back, approvingly, or disapprovingly, as it happens. It's a strength, and a weakness, leaving him open to harsh criticism.The Donald used social media as a tool to propel him into the nation's highest office. By the time he announced in 2015, he was an old hand at Twitter. He used it to hammer his enemies. A tit-for-tat battle with actress/comedian/talk show host Rosie O'Donnell was never-ending.In the presidential campaign, Fox News debate moderator Megyn Kelly asked Trump about how he used words like "fat pigs," "dogs," "slobs" and "disgusting animals" to describe some women, Trump shot back."Only Rosie O'Donnell," he responded.In an earlier Tweet, when she was launching a new talk program he explained his war with O'Donnell this way: "@Rosie — No offense, and good luck on the new show, but remember, you started it!"Once president, Trump kept a target on immigrants, or "illegals," as he and his supporters refer to people who come here and seek asylum up against a broken system incapable of rendering justice. "Democrats used to support border security — now they want illegals to pour through our borders," an April 27, 2017, Trump Tweet states. Trump also used Twitter to harass his predecessor, President Obama, when he led the "birtherism" movement falsely claiming Obama was born in Kenya, and suggesting he did not work very hard at being president. "Obama has admitted that he spends his mornings watching @ESPN. Then he plays golf, fundraises & grants amnesty to illegals," Trump tweeted on Dec. 16, 2014. While both FDR and Trump helped revolutionize how a new communication tool in its time could be used, Roosevelt's approach wasn't as self-serving as Trump's, and did not include toxic attacks. It seems clear Trump uses Twitter to divide and conquer; Roosevelt used his fireside chats to unite the nation. "We have in the darkest moments of our national trials retained our faith in our own ability to master our destiny," FDR told the nation in a fireside chat on April 28, 1935. "Fear is vanishing and confidence is growing on every side, renewed faith in the vast possibilities of human beings to improve their material and spiritual status through the instrumentality of the democratic form of government. That faith is receiving its just reward. For that we can be thankful to the God who watches over America."In a recent Tweet after visiting hospitalized victims of a shooting massacre in Dayton, Trump made it clear how much he enjoyed himself. "Just left Dayton, Ohio, where I met with the Victims & families, Law Enforcement, Medical Staff & First Responders. It was a warm & wonderful visit. Tremendous enthusiasm & even Love. Then I saw failed Presidential Candidate (0%) Sherrod Brown & Mayor Whaley totally misrepresenting what took place inside of the hospital. Their news conference after I left for El Paso was a fraud. It bore no resemblance to what took place with those incredible people that I was so lucky to meet and spend time with. They were all amazing!"Yep. It's all about love, Dear Leader.