presidential political communications generate a negative image of the president, which has certainly contributed to Trump having a historically low approval rating of 28% (Enten CNN.com). Modern presidents have almost unanimously acted in ways that are consistent with the concept of a rhetorical presidency by using new communications tools to create a stronger connection with the public. Obama was, in this regard, a typical rhetorical president as he used media technologies to communicate inclusively to the general public, as a way of trying to narrow the divide between both sides of the political spectrum in the United States. He may have not been successful all the time, but it still created a greater sense of unity during his presidency. Trump has turned the inclusiveness of Obama’s “rhetorical presidency to a ubiquitous presidency, the latter characterized by frequent communication in a variety of (non)-traditional settings” (Scacco and Coe 302), Twitter being the most apparent.

The change in political communications under Trump has led to a disregard of the consequences of the communications that are made; when the President can say anything over social media, and Twitter in particular, whether it be disrespectful or unprofessional, it demonstrates that the purpose of political communications is to speak to Trump’s core base of support, and not the American public more generally, in an effort to garner support only from among the base for the President. In this way, political communications under Trump have not promoted cohesion across American society, they have promoted division, and this could fundamentally change the relationship of the Presidency to the American public in future generations.