Behind the retweets: Trump's TV news and Twitter diet

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Accusations of “fake news” have threaded through Donald Trump’s rise to high political office, with the president frequently lambasting outlets such as CNN and the New York Times while embracing online sources -- which are often unverified.

Trump triggered a storm on Wednesday by retweeting three controversial videos posted by the deputy leader of far-right group Britain First. Precisely why he shared the videos remains unclear, but it is widely speculated that he did so after seeing one of them in the feed of right-wing polemicist Ann Coulter.

The president added to the controversy by hitting out at British Prime Minister Theresa May, who on Thursday reiterated her view that Trump had been “wrong” to share the videos.

So where does Trump get his news from, and what does it mean for his worldview?

Gatekeepers

Traditionally, leaders receive regular news briefings from staffers. Under the current US administration, things were a little different initially: Trump reportedly requested clippings of stories mentioning him.

One of John Kelly’s first acts after being appointed White House chief of staff in July was to try to filter the news that reached Trump through formal briefings.

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly. /Reuters Photo

But while Kelly is credited with instilling greater discipline in the White House by controlling the flow of policy briefings and proposals, the president’s predilection for cable news and Twitter means that stemming the information he receives online is a near impossible task.

And controlling what Trump actually tweets is “just not possible” a former aide told Politico. “The most success anyone has had, through numerous angles and schemes, has been to stop it momentarily, or to slow things down.”

The former aide added that Trump’s digital team quickly realized that deleting tweets merely created more attention, so instead tried to camouflage a controversial comment with a torrent of posts.

Twitter

The “Twitter president” follows just 45 people on the social media platform, so his news stream has limited content. Material he receives from those who “mention” him is a far larger source of information.

The identity of the accounts Trump does follow is illuminating: The maxim of following those who challenge your views is not one the president appears to subscribe to. Right-wing media personalities, White House staff, family members and Trump organizations dominate the echo chamber.

Who does Trump follow?

Followed by 43.7 million users on Twitter, Trump only follows 45 accounts himself.

Some of them have a “Trump” in their names, including eight official accounts of Trump organizations and seven family members, including all of his children (excluding Barron), his two daughters-in-law and wife Melania.

Current and former employees on the list include Vice-President Mike Pence, White House spokesperson Kellyanne Conway and White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders.

The president hasn’t forgotten friendly right-wing news organizations and commentators. Accounts of Fox News, the Drudge Report, Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Geraldo Rivera and Tucker Carlson are also followed by Trump.

Former Fox News star Bill O'Reilly, who is among the 45 accounts, advised President Trump on Thursday to stop tweeting about non-governmental issues for a while.

"Attacking specific media people, retweeting dubious material — now hurting the President because it diverts attention from his economic success & gives his enemies ammo," O'Reilly said.

There are a few accounts that don’t follow the political narrative, though. WWE chairman and CEO Vince McMahon and veteran golfer Gary Player are both on the list.

Trending stories on Twitter often dictate what the president regards as important in the world, according to Politico, which reported that he regularly refers aides to a story on social media and tells them “everybody’s talking about this.”

The role of the people Trump follows and grants interviews is also important because many of them are so-called “boosters,” supporters who use social media to promote his presidency.

Mentions are significant too: That Trump sometimes responds to them suggests he takes note, and he is often tagged alongside content that originates in the political fringe.

Fox and online friends

Former president Barack Obama once suggested he didn’t watch enough cable TV to understand the level of public anxiety after the San Bernardino terrorist attack in 2015, but consumption of television news has not been a problem for Trump.

The president regularly tweets about issues shortly after they are mentioned on television – normally on right-wing network Fox News. He has led a campaign against CNN, going so far as to accuse the network of damaging the image of the US overseas and bemoaning being “forced” to watch CNN while in the Philippines in early November.

Trump is a regular on the Fox News channels. /Reuters Photo

Former campaign aide Sam Nunberg said that Trump continues to read Breitbart, InfoWars and the Drudge Report – all sites known for their right-wing content.

Trump’s target audience matches his viewing habits: 19 of the one-on-one interviews he has granted since becoming president were with Fox programs, according to Mark Knoller of CBS.

The president has given four interviews to the New York Times, followed by three for NBC and Reuters, and two for the Wall Street Journal.

The last formal non-Fox TV news interview Trump took part in was with NBC, when he famously contradicted the official explanation for firing former FBI director James Comey.