Donald Trump won the U.S. presidential election on Twitter. There, he created what the head of a major market-research company called "a continuous Trump rally that happens on Twitter at all hours." He attracted millions more followers than Hillary Clinton, garnered three times more free exposure than Clinton on social media and, according to the social media firm SocialFlow, made himself "the most talked-about person on the planet."
Trump's ability to outsmart other politicians on social media also stands to be one of his most formidable weapons as president. However, to be successful in his new job, America's tweeter-in-chief will need to use social media differently than he did during the campaign.
The late political scientist Richard Neustadt famously argued that "presidential power is the power to persuade." The best way for Trump to convince officials to do what he wants will be to persuade them that doing so is in their interests. The same will largely be true for his interactions with foreign leaders.
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