President Donald Trump has joined Twitch, the social media platform for gamers, and already racked up 40,000 followers in less than 24 hours. The president, who’s very popular on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, appears to be expanding his social media footprint after recent complaints that Fox News doesn’t support him enough.
Trump’s first livestream on Twitch happened last night, but it was just a feed of Trump’s neo-fascist style rally from Minneapolis where he denigrated refugees, Somali-Americans, and Democrats, telling the crowd “they want to erase your future.” It’s not yet clear if the president will create unique content for the incredibly popular livestreaming service or if the feed will simply be rehashed material from other platforms.
Trump has complained more and more about Fox News recently, even tweeting yesterday that “they suck” after a Fox poll showed a majority of Americans support his impeachment. But Twitch is an odd choice for the president. Twitch is owned by Amazon, a company that Trump has denigrated repeatedly because its founder, billionaire Jeff Bezos, also owns the Washington Post. The Post has reported accurately on Trump’s many crimes since he took office in January of 2017, but the president calls any press coverage that he doesn’t like “fake news.”
And that whiney mantra was on full display last night in Minneapolis, as Trump often pointed to the press and called them “fakers.” President Trump also stood up in front of the virtually all-white crowd and spewed hateful things about refugees from Somalia.
“For many years, leaders in Washington brought large numbers of refugees to your state from Somalia without considering the impact on schools and communities and taxpayers,” Trump said. “I promised you that as president I would give local communities a greater say in refugee policy and put in place enhanced vetting and responsible immigration control. And I’ve done that.”
Trump also attacked Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar, who came to the U.S. from Somalia as a refugee when she was a child. Trump even used air quotes when calling her a “congresswoman” for some reason, while also calling her an “America-hating socialist.” Trump also repeated a far right conspiracy theory that Omar had married her brother in order to commit immigration fraud.
And to top it all off, President Trump seemed to mimic an orgasm when talking about former FBI investigators. Seriously.
Other politicians have joined Twitch in an effort to reach younger potential voters, but those politicians typically have a message of unity and support for the underdog, without any of the racist nonsense currently being spread by the commander in chief.
Democratic presidential nominee Bernie Sanders, as just one example, joined Twitch this past June and has been livestreaming his Town Hall events across the country, as well as his speeches supporting health care for all Americans. Bernie’s staffers have also hosted Q&A sessions just for Twitch viewers.
Trump is in hot water over myriad scandals right now and impeachment is increasingly popular with the American people, so the Trump regime needs all the help it can get in the lead up to the 2020 presidential election. Can Twitch help the president broaden his base, catapulting more hate, racism, and division into the world? Only time will tell. But if history is any guide, the answer is a definitive yes.