President Donald Trump’s tweets are read by his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin and viewed as official White House positions, the Kremlin has said.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said everything which is published from his authorized Twitter account is perceived by Moscow as his official statement,” Reuters first reported.
“Naturally, it is reported to Putin along with other information about official statements by politicians,” Mr. Peskov said. Mr. Putin does not use Twitter.
Mr. Trump’s prolific use of the social media platform has attracted more than 44 million followers to his feed. Media strategists have noted it allows him to speak directly to his supporters with having to use the news media.
Blasting ideas out directly on Twitter, the president has driven every issue from strategy on North Korea to NFL rules for players kneeling during the national anthem.
He has also frequently causes controversy. Most recently, Mr. Trump retweeted anti-Islam videos from a British far-right group, causing Prime Minister Theresa May to call the move wrong and divisive.
• Dan Boylan can be reached at dboylan@washingtontimes.com.
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