So important - Judd Legum explains: "WTF is going on with Trump's social media accounts?"

[EveHammond13]

https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1124661987546468352.html


1. WTF is going on with Trump's social media accounts?

Let me explain in plain English.


2. Social media is central to Trump's reelection strategy. He made the guy in charge of his 2016 social media strategy, @parscale, his 2020 campaign manager.

Trump is spending 500K per week on Facebook and Google and he doesn't even have an opponent yet.


3. Trump's strategy on social media, particularly Facebook, involves him breaking all of the platform rules.

They bragged about this last time -- suppressing African-American votes with fake information
This time they started targeting seniors w/fake promises about the border.


4. But after all the criticism of 2016 Facebook is more sensitive now about how its platform is being used for elections.

When I pointed out hundreds of rules violations by the Trump campaign, Facebook acted and took the ads down
UPDATE: Facebook admits it ran hundreds of Trump campaign ads that violate Facebook rules


5. This is what is unacceptable to Trump.

He needs to be a VICTIM of Facebook censorship so that it's IMPOSSIBLE for Facebook to enforce their own rules


6. So Trump took a routine announcement by Facebook it was permanently banning several accounts that traffic in racism and conspiracy theories and made it a HUGE DEAL.

It makes him the victim again.
Facebook banned dozens of liberal last year on thinner grounds w/no fanfare


7. Trump's goal is to make Facebook's rules UNENFORCEABLE.

In Trump's mind there is no difference between NBC and InfoWars and if Facebook tries to create one its CENSORSHIP.
That's the political space he needs to operate.


8. The problem is that the media is complicit. There is almost no coverage of how Trump is spending money online

I'm filling in the gap w/my newsletter, Popular Information. I spend hours reviewing the Trump's social media ads
You can subscribe at
Popular Information
Original research and fresh insight into the political news that matters most.
http://popular.info


9. A big part of the problem is the social media company themselves. Twitter, Facebook and Google won't enforce their rules.

They are scared are regulation and Trump is a very good customer. They have every incentive not to act.


10. In the meantime, what's happening online in advance of 2020 is shaping up to be even worse than 2016.

---------------

If you are on twitter you surely noticed all major right-wing twitter accounts are 100% aligned and pushing this "censorship" message hard for the past 24 hours at least. Harassment and bald threats at @CNN and other media is a part of what they are doing right now.

[Merlot]

1. The sad thing is banning someone from FB is not the definition of censorship

Not that that matters, but you'd think the media would at least explain that one

BTW, how did you find the $500k per week spending number? Is that public information?

[EveHammond13]

2. I would trust Judd's number, but also check out @AnotherAcronym on twitter

and get their newsletter. They are focused on reporting who is spending what, where, for 2020

[Kurt V.]

4. here in another thread.

Judd Legum
@JuddLegum
·
2h
All the summary info about Trump's ad spending on Facebook has disappeared.

This ad library is supposed to provide transparency.

Last week it showed 11 million of spending over the last year and 200,000 over the last week.

Now. Poof.

[EveHammond13]

5. Facebook is so damn dirty

[Duppers]

3. K & R