Disruptor-in-chief?

Abstract

Abstract One prominent competitor to press influence on the public in digital spaces is the President of the United States. This presidential influence is largely unaccounted for, however, in contemporary agenda-setting models. This study examines the network agenda-building and setting capabilities of President Trump around tax reform and North Korea to determine whether and how presidential use of Twitter facilitates agenda building and disrupts the traditional press/public agenda-setting process. Offered in this research are contributions to network agenda setting by placing this theoretical perspective in conversation with research on how the press and public “echo” the language of the president under particular circumstances. Our results illustrate the president can disrupt press-public agenda formation in some circumstances, but popular accounts of the all-disrupting influence President Trump has on political life should be approached cautiously.