The personal information processing system revolutionize the American home in the eighties and 90s . And by the mid-90s mainstream America was getting on-line . But with Donald Trump now the presumptive nominee of the Republican party , there ’s an interesting doubtfulness that must be demand : Has Trump ever used a computer ?
We already know that Donald Trump does n’t nip . Sure , he “ tweets ” in the sense that he dictates things to his personal assistant and interns . But we have trivial proof that he has ever banged out a message on Twitter by himself . [ Update : It turn out Trump tweets for himself after 7 necropsy , but dictates his tweetsduring the Clarence Day . ]
Some have called out Trump for die back on his promise to “ boycott ” Apple over their current fightwith the FBI . News sales outlet point out that Trump ’s tweets have pretty consistently been sent out on iPhones . But those are n’t his machine . Those are the smartphones of his personal aides , further evidenced by the fact that sometimes the tweet occur from Android devices , and other times fromApple mathematical product .
So back to our original head : Has Donald Trump , the presumably human humankind , actually sat down at a computer and browsed the WWW , or checked email , or ( and sorry for this look-alike ) looked at erotica ? Has Trump ever used a smartphone to get at the World Wide Web ? Has the potential candidate for the GOP subspecies to the White House ever used a data processor mouse or tap on a computing machine keyboard ? Has he ever forge away at a typewriter , for that topic ?
The New York Times examined Trump ’s tech employment in a July 28 , 2015 story about a deposition heonce gave . And it strengthens the case that Trump has never once touched a PC .
For a campaigner who articulate he is an self-assurance on modern business , Mr. Trump is slow to take engineering . In 2007 , he said he had no home or office computer .
“ Does your secretary beam e-mail on your behalf ? ” he was need .
His repository generally typed letters , Mr. Trump articulate . “ I do n’t do the electronic mail thing . ”
By 2013 , Mr. Trump was still not trade on email . “ Very rarely , but I use it , ” he said under questioning .
Notice that Trump says he use email , but very seldom , without specifying who might be in reality typewrite out his email . Much like his tweet , it seems dependable to assume that his “ role ” is detain to multitude read him e-mail and Trump dictating responses .
So what about Trump ’s web browsing ? It would appear that he does read news from the web . But at the very least it ’s printed out for him , as we can see from this February 2 , 2016tweetshowing Trump in front of printed off articles from theHuffington Post .
At 69 class old , Trump comes from an earned run average when business enterprise executives were n’t expect to be technical in typing . That was what secretaries and personal assistants were for . But at 68 , we certainly know Hillary Clinton apply mess of equipment for email . We have thememesand personal server controversies to essay it . People tend to evolve with the times .
I have found precisely one photo of Donald Trump “ using ” a smartphone in a manner that might seem as if he ’s using it for its web capacity . Since Donald has also said under cuss that he does n’t text , we have to assume that this photo from October of 2015 shew him doing something vane - relate , provided he ’s not dialing a earphone issue . It ’s almost like a photograph of Bigfoot . ( And about as believable . )
There ’s something about the photo that ’s a trivial too not bad . The image was for a story aboutTrump ’s tweeting , which we ’ve already found he does n’t do directly . But presumably the photographer needed a photo of Trump “ tweeting . ” So whether it was Trump ’s thought or the photographer ’s , this one looks pretty staged . Maybe he did send off out a single tweet for that shoot ! But it seems unconvincing .
I ’ve also found another photo where Trump is “ using ” a smartphone by holding it up to his ear , but the caption by the Associated Press betrays the fact that he may not even be on a phone call .
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump mind to his wandering speech sound during a lunch stop , Thursday , Feb. 18 , 2016 , in North Charleston , S.C.
“ … cornet heed to his mobile phone … ”
We can assume that this bizarre wording means that the photographer never really find out Trump having a conversation , but was merely listening to something on the other end . A sweet new song on Pandora perhaps ? A conference call ? Nobody knows . But whatever he was doing , there ’s no grounds he pull out the phone from his ear to begin tweeting his amazing tweets or check his email .
I also set up this exposure of Trump at the Economic Club of Washington on December 15 , 2014 . He looks like speaking on an inconspicuous phone , which is n’t so much evidence of anything , but just rather funny .
It ’s good to express mirth while we still can , right ?
Admittedly , I ’ve never seen Trump ’s key signature reality TV shows — The Apprentice , Celebrity Apprentice , nor Ban All Muslims Apprentice . But my World Wide Web searches have turn up nothing even close to The Donald ™ using a electronic computer on that show , let alone anywhere else .
If Trump has truly never used a calculator , that would be a remarkable change of flight in American politics . Since the transition from Bill Clinton in the early 1990s to George W. Bush in the 2000s to Barack Obama , our presidents have changed with the technological times . None have been technological ace , but they ’ve appear competent with the mainstream computing tech of their day .
Even the first President Bush , the human being who got teased for not knowing how a checkout scanner make for back inthe other nineties , has been tell apart with a computer shiner in his paw now and again .
There is no technological mental test for the presidency in the United States . A hypothetical President Trump would not be required to use a computer nor a smartphone . But it ’s 2016 . The future president of the United States will confront myriad issues involving the average American ’s role of engineering science . And if you ’ve never touched a computing machine in your life , it seems hard to imagine how Trump might come to to thing as fiddling as “ information overload ” or as significant as mass governing surveillance .
We have documentary grounds of Bernie Sanders , Ted Cruz , Hillary Clinton , and Marco Rubio all using lozenge , smartphones , and PCs . Somehow Trump has mastered the high - technical school demand of running a 21st century presidential military campaign without ever using those technologies first - mitt . He ’s on Facebook , Instagram , and Twitter — all set up for him and assure by his sycophant . candidly , I ’m not sure whether to be impressed or horrified .
I guess , of all the things to be horrified over regarding our future president , his technical art might be the least of our worries .
Update 2:40pm : As multiple commenters have take note , it appear that Trump has been seen tweet from his own earphone at least once . From Mark Leibovich at theNew York Times :
After a few minutes , I see Trump staring down into a phone glowing up into his shiny facial expression . I checked my sound , too . ‘ ‘ Speech in Dallas went really well , ’’ it said in my Twitter provender , good manners of @realDonaldTrump , who was squeeze next to me in the dark .
So it would come along that at the very least Trump knows how to use Twitter on his phone , wear that Trump in reality sent the tweet and it was n’t typed out by someone else and/or pre - scheduled . Leibovich assumes that it was Trump tweeting , but without looking over his articulatio humeri , we do n’t know that he was n’t playing that Kate Upton game you ’re always reckon advertizement for .
Most importantly , we still have n’t answered the enquiry : Have Trump’sshort , vulgarian fingersknown the hump signature of a figurer mouse or keyboard ?
Update 3:46pm : A tout has sent me this2011 videoof Trump railing against Ocuppy Wall Street . He appears to have a MacBook sitting behind him on his desk . Granted , he ’s not using it and this video probably would n’t stand up in court as evidence that he ’s really used a electronic computer in his life-time , but it ’s something .
Update 4:13pm : Buzzfeed ’s Andrew Kaczynski has pointed out to me that when Trump did the Howard Stern showback in 2005Trump inculpate that he does n’t really like email . The intellect ? All his supporter just ship e-mail about all the marital women they ’re consume gender with .
“ What really fascinates me is email . I have friends — first of all — half of my friends are under indictment justly now because they sent emails to each other about how they ’re screwing mass , ” said Trump . “ Email is improbable . They ’ll let the cat out of the bag on the earphone , they ca n’t even say hello , they do n’t desire to say hello or goodbye , and yet they ’ll write you a message that they ’re take gender with 15 unlike matrimonial woman . It ’s incredible . Email is unbelievable . ”
credible , actually . And yet , still not grounds that Trump has ever physically touched a computer . Much like his Huffington Post print - outs , it ’s probably a safe bet that Trump ’s aides give him emails in deadtree form .
Update , March 3rd , 1:50am : A tipsteron Twitterpoints out that Trump did once knock over an employee ’s reckoner monitor in an excited frenzy over a YouTube video . From a June 2015 story inBloomberg :
“ Ninety - nine million view , ” [ Trump ] said , knocking over an employee ’s information processing system monitor as he pointed to a YouTube video recording of rapper Mac Miller ’s platinum - certify track , “ Donald Trump , ” playing on it . “ Now that ’s a brand . ”
Again , we still do n’t have grounds that Trump has ever touched a figurer or its peripherals for their intended purpose , but it feels like we ’re getting ardent .
Update , March 10th , 12:35pm : In 2006 , Donald Trump started an online travel reservation internet site called GoTrump.com . The jam release for the speculation explained that Trump was make his first - ever email addressfor the business sector :
Donald J. Trump announces his swelled venture to date in the $ 80 billion online travel industry in a mechanical press conference today at Trump Tower . He affirmed the launch of GoTrump.com , and in conjunction with the introduction of the internet site Trump lay down his first - ever email address[email protected]where he will offer travel hint and advice . GoTrump.com is powered by Travelocity and will feature over 60,000 hotels worldwide .
It ’s not clear how someone manning an electronic mail address ( whether it was Trump or one of his staff member ) was going to offer locomotion advice and tips .
I sent an email to[email protected]but have yet to get a response . GoTrump.com folded just a year after it launch and the domain now redirect to Trump ’s cause internet site .
Update July 28 , 9:57am : It appears that we have ourfirst photoof Donald Trump using a electronic computer . I say “ appear ” because he ’s not actually touching the keyboard . The pic was allegedly taken last night during Trump ’s AMA on Reddit .
Update November 28 , 2016 , 8:15pm : Kellyanne Conway just tweeted a pic of President - elect Trumpusing a figurer .
If you have documentary grounds that Donald Trump has ever used a information processing system mouse , trackpad or touchscreen , please send it to[email protected ] .
touch the author at[email protected ] .
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