Did Donald Trump's Tweets Hurt Him?

By Dimas Salaberrios, CP Exclusive Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Dimas Salaberrios is pastor of Infinity Bible Church, which he founded in partnership with Tim Keller and Redeemer City to City, in the South Bronx of New York City.

Would the presidential race have been as close if Mrs.Trump hid "The Donald's" phone at night?

Trump started out as a superstar of sorts, a man who has been a household name since 1980 when he opened the Grand Hyatt in New York City. Trump is in over 1,000 rap songs and has been in the mouths of Americans whenever millionaires are discussed. His show with Mark Burnett, The Apprentice, catapulted Trump in the minds of people as a wise and shrewd businessman. So, when he entered the scene ready to tackle America's issues, it created a buzz that could not be stopped. I still believe he is a brilliant deal maker, a man determined to accomplish the goals he sets.

He was the crave, the "flavor of the month" and the prince vying to be the queen of hearts! Republicans cheered and Democrats were concerned for the 'outsider' who put fear in all who opposed him. It looked like Trump was blazing a clear path to glory, except for one glaring Achilles' heel: all of the world was shocked by his habit of tweeting at night.

The owners of Twitter (Jack Dorsey‎, ‎Noah Glass‎, ‎Biz Stone‎, and ‎Evan Williams)‎ should have donated to Donald Trump's campaign, because he put Twitter in the media in ways I have never seen before. It was the biggest free promotion that a social media company has ever received. Donald Trump's tweets went beyond the term viral; he "Trumped" viral and went galactic.

There are three memorable tweets that have raised concerns for a lot of people:

If crazy @megynkelly didn't cover me so much on her terrible show, her ratings would totally tank. She is so average in so many ways!

"@Don_Vito_08: "A picture is worth a thousand words" @realDonaldTrump #LyingTed #NeverCruz @MELANIATRUMP "

"Did Crooked Hillary help disgusting (check out sex tape and past) Alicia M become a U.S. citizen so she could use her in the debate?"

We all have crazy thoughts from time to time, along with moments of distrust. However, that is the side of a public figure that should remain behind closed doors.

I am a human being, and I've had moments of doubt and concerns about persons' motivations, but my role as a pastor requires me to temper my criticisms. If I spoke all my opinions and wrote public commentary without the balance of faith and goodwill, people would call me insensitive at best, or vindictive at worst. The reason we love people like Prince, Harper Lee, and Syd Barrett is because they rarely exposed their private thoughts and they never used social media as a forum for spreading negativity.

I enjoyed the Donald Trump who wrote The Art of the Deal. I enjoyed the serious businessman who proved his worth in the revitalization of commercial ventures: not criticizing American cities facing economic distress, but providing a means of redemption by building visionary venues for entertainment and employment. That Donald Trump would have had an enormous lead, especially if someone close to him had locked his phone in a safe from, say, 10:00 PM to 7:00 AM.

Donald Trump tweeted about Dwayne Wade's cousin who was innocently shot and killed (Nykea Aldridge): "Dwyane Wade's cousin was just shot and killed walking her baby in Chicago. Just what I have been saying. African-Americans will VOTE TRUMP!"

I believe Donald Trump's true sentiment was that he desired to help the city of Chicago, African Americans included, but it did not come out right. It came across as a co-opting of a family's pain for his own political well-being.

My wife often tells me to never make public comments past 10:00 PM because my sharpest hours are in the morning. I agree: not just because I know myself, but because I see the after-effect a social media "faux-pas" can have in the lives of celebrities.

After those tweets Donald Trump made, people started having to defend why they like him while blocking all the bullets in print that their opposers could easily hurl in their direction. Everyone who meets Mr. Trump in person walks away impressed, and occasionally in awe. He is forthright, funny, and witty on his feet. Most voters, however, only access him through media outlets, and his late-night tweets are neither funny nor impressive.

I cannot say that all errors in judgement happen at night, but I believe that words generated at 1 AM do not always come out as polished as they would at 7 AM. So, if the man was tired from the campaign trail, it would have been wise to set up a quality assurance team to critique his tweets before they went public. There is, after all, a correlation between a man's public comments and the resultant tide of public opinion.

Does Mr. Trump have the right to post negative tweets at night? Yes. But the public also holds the right to block his account.

Dimas Salaberrios is pastor of Infinity Bible Church, which he founded in partnership with Tim Keller and Redeemer City to City, in the South Bronx of New York City. Infinity targets at-risk youth and spearheads numerous outreach events and discipleship groups. As a worldwide missionary, church planter, and speaker, Pastor Dimas has shared the gospel on every continent except Antarctica. He is also president of Concerts of Prayer Greater New York, and he holds a master of divinity degree from Alliance Theological Seminary. He and his wife, Tiffany, live in the Bronx with their two daughters. Learn more at streetgodbook.com.