Donald Trump’s infamous use of social media-namely Twitter- has made problems for his campaign on many occasion since he announced he was running to become the GOP candidate for the Presidential elections in 2016. His latest gaffe is a quote he tweeted, which he attributed to Mahatma Gandhi.
#Trump2016 #TrumpInstagram: https://t.co/tzHtny48nQ pic.twitter.com/BpKZcISeKi
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 29, 2016
It turns out that Mahatma Gandhi never said anything like this in his lifetime. The quote in question can be attributed to a trade unionist Nicholas Klein. At a clothing-workers’ convention in 1918, Klein stated “First they ignore you. Then they ridicule you. And then they attack you and want to burn you. And then they build monuments to you. And that, is what is going to happen to the Amalgamated Clothing Workers of America.”
This isn’t the first time Trump has messed up a quote on social media. Just a few days ago, he retweeted a quote that came from the fascist Italian dictator Benito Mussolini.
"@ilduce2016: “It is better to live one day as a lion than 100 years as a sheep.” – @realDonaldTrump #MakeAmericaGreatAgain"
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 28, 2016
Trump defended his tweeting of the quote in an interview with NBC. Trump responded in typical Trump fashion:
“Look, Mussolini was Mussolini. It’s a very good quote; it’s a very interesting quote, and I know it. I saw it. And I know who said it. But what difference does it make whether it’s Mussolini or somebody else? It’s certainly a very interesting quote. That’s probably why I have between Facebook and Twitter 14 million people when other people don’t.”
In fact, the account that posted the Mussolini quote was a fake account set up by tech website Gawker. They wanted to see if Trump would actually endorse something coming from a former fascist dictator. As is the case with Trump, as long as it appears to be praise for himself, he’s more than willing to ride along with it.
It begs the question, is Trump actually running his Twitter account? Or is it one of his cronies? If it is, Trump needs to have a sit down with his social media intern.
Featured Image Via Twitter
