US President Donald Trump applauds during a rally for Sen. Luther Strange (R-AL) at the Von Braun Civic Center September 22, 2017 in Huntsville, Alabama. (BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/Getty Images)
Trump touts Twitter use at Alabama rally
00:49 - Source: CNN

Story highlights

Trump's use of Twitter dates back years before he was in the White House

Trump took aim at the media while discussing his plans for a wall on the southern border

CNN  — 

President Donald Trump touted his Twitter presence while campaigning for fellow Republican Luther Strange on Friday night.

At the Alabama rally set just days ahead of the state’s Senate Republican primary runoff election, the President took a moment to celebrate his ability to speak directly to his base via Twitter.

“That is the great thing about Twitter,” Trump said. “You know, when the press is dishonest, which is most of the time, and when they say, like, I don’t want to build a wall, I can tweet ‘That was a false story. Boom. Boom. Boom.’ “

luther strange
Trump rallies for Strange in GOP Senate race
02:28 - Source: CNN

Trump took aim at the media while talking about his plans to build a wall on the southern border: “Well every once in a while you hear, ‘Well, he doesn’t really want to build the wall,’ I say, ‘Excuse me?’” Trump said.

Trump’s use of Twitter dates back years before he was in the White House and has been one of the more unique and controversial aspects of his presidency.

His Twitter handle, @realDonaldTrump, now has almost 39 million followers, and his tweets range from calling out the media to announcing White House policies to criticizing foreign leaders, among other topics.

“Every time he tweets, I am entertained. Sometimes I’m informed. It tells me what to care about today, tells me what he’s thinking,” Scott Adams, creator of the Dilbert comic strip and an early Trump supporter, told CNN’s Bill Weir. “It’s transparent. Sometimes it’s provocative. Sometimes it’s too provocative. I like that, too.”

CNN aired a special report “Twitter and Trump” on Friday night, which explores the President’s prolific and controversial use of the platform.