Berzleja, Z., & Kertész, F. (2020). Donald Trump’s Communication During COVID-19 Pandemic on Twitter. https://www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:1481356/FULLTEXT01.pdf

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Berzleja and Kertész (2020) conducted research reviewing Donald Trump's communication in relation to Covid-19. The authors reviewed Donald Trump's language and communication style, his political incorrectness, and habits on Twitter communication. About 4,018 tweets were retrieved from March, April, February and June in 2020, of which 638 are COVID-19 related tweets. The key findings of the study show that Trump used simple and offensive tone of voice in the tweets. His communication on Twitter showed that he attacks his opponents and other people in a politically incorrect manner. The findings also showed that he likes praising himself as he attacked others. A lot of physical activities have been suspended due to Covid-19, a factor that has led to the increase of online communication. Although online communication is not new, it has played a significant role during the pandemic period.

The authors concluded that Donald Trump’s communication on Twitter in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic depicted negative partisanship, use of offensive tone towards his foes and the media, it was simple, and he used casual language. Twitter content with professional and formal language were retweets from other politicians. The authors state that Trump addressed coronavirus with political incorrectness, self-flattery, and used the pandemic as a tool for his political campaign. He is said to have distracted needful information with attacking his foes by addressing already presented facts on media outlets. The author states that although Trump is prone to use negative casual communication style, he showed empathy and respect towards the citizens and those working hard to fight the virus. He did not take the opportunity to educate people and guide them, he instead used Twitter to further attack his opponents.

The study evidenced that Trump uses simple and casual language as a strategic approach to reach out to the general public. It is also a means to ensure that the message is understood immediately. His strategy has worked all along as he has managed to grow his following with the simple sentences and terms. Although Trump often idealizes the situation, he lacks science-based facts, and consistency through factual evidence. Trump managed to keep things light and controlled to avoid sharing worrisome content. The general conclusion is that Trump’s communication on Twitter was casual and simple.

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