NPR

President Donald Trump, Unreliable Narrator

Why can't we stop reading Trump's Twitter feed? The same reason we can't put down The Catcher In The Rye or Pale Fire.
Unlike most presidents, who keep the public at arm's-length, President Trump appears to let us into his head with his constant tweeting. / SAUL LOEB / Getty Images

President Trump did it again on Twitter late last week.

"I am being investigated for firing the FBI Director by the man who told me to fire the FBI Director! Witch Hunt," he tweeted Friday morning.

Once again, a Trump tweet set off a media frenzy, this time making everyone wonder whether he was indeed confirming that he was under investigation for obstruction of justice. (The White House later said the tweet was not confirmation that Trump has been informed that he is under investigation.)

This isn't the first time that Trump has made trouble for himself in his tweets (see: the tweet that a judge recently cited in once again blocking Trump's travel ban). But his tweets are more than a potential legal liability, and they're even more than fodder for the occasional breaking news alert — his Twitter feed is groundbreaking in that he seems to be letting us inside his head. And in doing so, he is the first president to narrate his presidency in real time.

But he is not just any kind of storyteller. He peppers those tweets with things that most politicians strain to hide: factual

You’re reading a preview, subscribe to read more.

More from NPR

NPR3 min read
Have You Seen This Emotional Support Gator? Wally's Owner Says He's Lost In Georgia
Wally has many fans in Pennsylvania and across social media. His owner is enlisting their help, saying Wally was kidnapped, located by a trapper and released into a swamp while vacationing in Georgia.
NPR4 min read
Cicadas Are Back On The Menu. One Chef Shares His Dish Ideas — And An Easy Recipe
The cicadas are coming! And so are some new flavor profiles. This spring, the bugs of two broods, the 13-year Brood XIX and the 17-year Brood XIII, will crawl from the ground simultaneously across the eastern and southern parts of the United States.
NPR5 min read
Can You Survive Summer Indoors Without AC? In Arizona, Many Don’t
Nearly half of the people who suffered heat-related deaths in Arizona last year lived outdoors without shelter, but public health officials and lawmakers are starting to pay more attention to the risk of dying indoors.

Related Books & Audiobooks