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Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Social Media, Twitter, Explained
Rhiannon Ingle
Topics: Donald Trump, Politics, US News, Social Media, Twitter, Explained
United States president Donald Trump keeps signing off his social media posts with his full name and title amid the ongoing missile strikes in the Middle East - but what's the reason behind this?
Now, as we know, Trump has made a habit out of signing off his several of his tweets and Truth Social posts as 'Donald J. Trump' despite the fact he's tweeting from his official personal accounts, so anyone reading will know it's coming from him anyway.
Just in the last few days, the 79-year-old Republican has used his full moniker to sign off a number of posts, including one uploaded in the early hours of this morning (24 June) announcing a ceasefire between Iran and Israel amid the two nations' ongoing conflict.
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The post in question reads: "THE CEASEFIRE IS NOW IN EFFECT. PLEASE DO NOT VIOLATE IT! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES!"
Then, a few hours later, he issued the warning: "ISRAEL. DO NOT DROP THOSE BOMBS. IF YOU DO IT IS A MAJOR VIOLATION. BRING YOUR PILOTS HOME, NOW! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES."
And a third, posted just a few hours after that one reads: "ISRAEL is not going to attack Iran. All planes will turn around and head home, while doing a friendly 'Plane Wave' to Iran. Nobody will be hurt, the Ceasefire is in effect! Thank you for your attention to this matter! DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES."
And these are just three examples from the last 24 hours. There have been many more instances over the years, including a time he spelt his own name wrong, where Trump signed off his social media posts with (and it's usually always in caps-lock) 'DONALD J. TRUMP, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES'.
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But why the full-name signature? Well, signing certain social media posts as 'president' carries diplomatic weight.
However, with that said, its legal standing is unclear, as social media posts lack formal legal force compared to more official announcements like executive orders.
While posts signed off as 'President of the United States' are treated as an official statement by media, legal analyses would suggest that such social media posts lack the enforceability of formal directives.
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One thing's for sure: Trump's habit has clearly caught the attention of people online, with X user writing: "Top tip. When sending a Tweet people can see who it's from. It isn't a letter. You don't need to sign it."
"I was wondering who Donald Trump was, till he helpfully put 'President of the United States'," sarcastically quipped a second, while another lamented: "The fact that bro's using Twitter to let them know about this very serious matter."
"I’m not running the country Don but maybe call them instead of posting on X," hit out a final X user, referencing the second Truth Social post mentioned above warning Israel to not drop any bombs on Iran following the ceasefire.