Turns Out, Trump's After-Hours Social Media Rampages Might Actually Have A Reason

President Donald Trump went connected a Truth Social spree earlier this week up of his travel to China, with posts that ranged from attacks connected erstwhile President Barack Obama to advocacy for himself to beryllium connected the $100 bill. Between 10:14 p.m. and 11:28 p.m. Eastern, the president posted much than 50 times, mostly reposting videos made by his supporters.

“From a unafraid selling perspective, helium is getting the desired attraction that helium perpetually craves,” Greg Kushnick, a scientist specializing successful cognitive behavioral therapy, told HuffPost. Kushnick is not diagnosing Trump, but is basing his appraisal of the president’s wide behaviour connected intelligence studies astir societal media usage and his acquisition with patients. “Doing it astatine nighttime and having radical aftermath up successful the greeting to perceive astir his messages — he’s fundamentally controlling the quality cycle,” Kushnick said. “If it didn’t get the attention, helium astir apt wouldn’t bash it arsenic much.”

This is not caller for Trump. In 2017, he credited societal media with helping him triumph the 2016 statesmanlike election, saying it helped him consistently get his connection retired to voters. “Initially, Trump utilized societal media successful an innovative mode to execute his goals, and helium did truthful with large success,” Michael Genovese, a prof of governmental subject and planetary relations astatine Loyola Marymount University, told HuffPost. “He was capable to get astir the media and spell straight to the public. He compelled everyone other to study connected his tweets and his posts, and it was a magnificent show of however to usage caller media and however to usage it effectively.”

His messages person changed implicit the years, Genovese argued, which is wherefore voters are becoming much concerned. “In the beginning, helium was colorful and creative,” Genovese said. “Now, it’s a small spot scary and [includes] threatening a civilization.”

Truth Social is an “echo chamber,” according to experts.

Truth Social, which is owned by Trump Media & Technology Group, is an “echo chamber” for the president — “an situation successful which radical question retired and devour accusation that reinforces their existing beliefs, values oregon opinions,” Manahil Riaz, a psychotherapist, told HuffPost successful February. On Truth Social, Trump’s worldview is fundamentally reiterated, Riaz said. Truth Social had 6 cardinal monthly progressive users successful 2024, according to Statista, compared to X’s 557 cardinal and Facebook’s 3 billion.

Trump’s late-night posting could beryllium a mode to “assert authority,” 1 adept says.

There are aggregate reasons helium mightiness station precocious astatine night. For 1 thing, Trump seldom sleeps, White House property caput Karoline Leavitt said astatine a Turning Point USA event earlier this week.

Asked what facet of her occupation keeps her “up astatine night,” Leavitt said it was Trump’s “crazy” nocturnal nature. “The information that my brag is up each nighttime and astir apt going to telephone astatine immoderate hour,” Leavitt said. According to Leavitt, Trump sleeps “very little. Like possibly 4 hours a night. It’s crazy. I’m a 3rd his age, and I can’t support up.” In 2018, portion answering property questions astir Trump’s health, White House doc Dr. Ronny Jackson said the president lone sleeps four to 5 hours a night.

Kushnick theorizes that these precocious hours, erstwhile Trump is unsocial and his squad is ostensibly disconnected the clock, are erstwhile helium tin station “without immoderate adviser’s influence.” “It’s a mode to asseverate authority,” Kushnick said. “He is going to bash it connected his ain without the power of others.” Kushnick calls this benignant of behaviour “pathological certainty,” a compulsive intelligence authorities successful which a idiosyncratic does not uncertainty their beliefs oregon ideas due to the fact that determination is nary 1 determination to situation them. Psychological studies person besides recovered that, precocious astatine night, thoughts thin to beryllium amplified. The “Mind After Midnight” proposal links “nocturnal wakefulness” to impaired decision-making, accrued tendency for attraction and rewards, and constricted affectional regulation.

Experts accidental posting often connected societal media besides gives “pseudo-validation.”

As of reporting, Trump has posted implicit 7,000 times connected Truth Social successful the past twelvemonth and implicit 700 times successful the past month, according to the Roll Call databases. When radical station truthful often connected societal media, it adds to their consciousness of validation, Kushnick said, but helium cautioned that it’s “pseudo-validation.” Research has recovered that predominant societal media engagement creates “The Slot Machine Effect,” successful which users don’t cognize erstwhile they volition get “likes” oregon comments, truthful it produces accordant dopamine spikes arsenic they support seeking that engagement.

But with poll numbers turning against Trump, Genovese thinks helium whitethorn beryllium experiencing much choler and vexation than successful his archetypal term, which is wherefore he’s lashing retired much successful his posts. “We spot him with seemingly nary filters, nary control, can’t enactment focused,” Genovese said. It’s not the archetypal clip a governmental person has been similar this, either. During the Watergate scandal, then-President Richard Nixon’s aides reportedly fto him air his frustrations retired loud but contained them from the public.

Reactions connected societal media “are moving him, alternatively than him moving [them],” Genovese said. “The satellite is not responding to him the mode helium wants.” But arsenic agelong arsenic the posts support getting attention, experts said they consciousness the behaviour is improbable to change.

This nonfiction primitively appeared connected HuffPost.