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Abstract

A major feature of the Trump election and presidency is President Trump's use of Twitter. He has used @realdonaldtrump, his personal Twitter account, to state policy positions, berate various people, and even announce firings. While news coverage focuses on President Trump's tweets, the account itself has been and continues to be the recipient of copious numbers of negative posts from ordinary citizens. The court 's designation of this Twitter account as a 'designated public space' and the large number of negative posts warrants a closer examination of these tweets. This study employed the grounded theory method to analyze the account and the comments there. A varied typology of posts emerged from the analysis suggesting that the intent of the posters went beyond merely venting frustration and berating Donald Trump. The main focus of these posters is to contest the narratives constructed by Trump and his supporters on @realdonaldtrump. By expressing their disapproval and criticisms, these Twitter users seek to contest ownership of this public forum.

Journal Title

Iowa Journal of Communication

Volume

51

Issue

1

First Page

111

Last Page

124

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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