Certain journalists, broadcasters, public personalities and political operatives take offense that President-elect Donald Trump continues to tweet with great vigor — including his characteristic candor from the 2016 campaign trail. His critics suggest that somehow this is not presidential, or that nimble tweeting in casual language compromises media coverage and trivializes serious issues. Yeah, well.

Not everyone agrees with these gripes. The reality is that the messages are instant, direct and precise.

“Trump is FDR with the fireside tweet,” writes USA Today columnist Glenn Harlan Reynolds. “President Clinton said, ‘I feel your pain.’ President Franklin Roosevelt had ‘fireside chats.’ And now President-elect Donald Trump is reaching out to forgotten Americans with a message that he cares about their problems, and wants to help. This could be the Democrats’ worst nightmare.”

Pensacola News Journal columnist Troy Moon also praises the effectiveness of Mr. Trump’s fireside tweets.

“I guess sending out policy tweets to your 16 million followers at 5:55 in the morning is kind of like FDR’s old fireside chats. Kind of. If we want clarity and succinctness from our president, 140 characters or less is pretty succinct. No need for inspirational oratory or well-developed exposition,” Mr. Moon observes.

“If the press would cover me accurately & honorably, I would have far less reason to tweet. Sadly, I don’t know if that will ever happen!” Mr. Trump himself tweeted Monday.

THANK YOU TOUR PART 2



Donald Trump has not abandoned the signature jumbo rallies that were the hallmark of his campaign. He has three of them in three states this week, in fact — part of his ongoing “thank you tour” meant to reach out to grass-roots voters who stood by him from the onset. These voters appear to be very dear to Mr. Trump, and the feeling is mutual.

He journeys to Fayetteville, North Carolina, for the third time this year on Tuesday — followed by Des Moines, Iowa, on Thursday and Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Friday.

THE HUNTSMAN QUESTION

Former Republican presidential hopeful Jon Huntsman’s name has surfaced on the rarefied roster of those who could be secretary of state. There is an interesting dynamic here, particularly as diplomatic relations with China grow baroque. Mr. Huntsman speaks flawless Chinese and was the former U.S. ambassador to both Singapore and China. His competition for the appointment is said to include John R. Bolton, Mitt Romney and ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson.

Has Mr. Huntsman had a visit with President-elect Donald Trump to pass before the celebrated elevator cam at Trump Tower?

“I am greatly honored that my name is in the mix in an expanded, large group of people. I have not had the meeting,” Mr. Huntsman tells Fox Business Network. “It says something about the president-elect that he’s taking this job very seriously, he’s reviewing the candidates, looking at the issues, bringing in different voices who maybe see differently America’s role in the world. That’s a good thing.”

Mr. Huntsman, 56 and the father of seven, has dabbled in politics since his White House run in 2012, co-founding No Labels, an interest group promoting bipartisanship and cooperation.

“I have no idea what lies ahead. You’ll have to talk to the transition team. When your name is floated, there might be a follow-up call, there might not be. We’ll have to wait and see,” he says.

HOW TRUMP ‘ORCHESTRATED A REVOLUTION’

The man with a Richard Nixon tattoo between his shoulders and four decades worth of insider political activity to his name has written a new book. That would be Roger Stone, a former adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and plenty more high-profile Republicans.

The title says all: “The Making of the President 2016: How Donald Trump Orchestrated a Revolution.”

Among many things, Mr. Stone explains how the maverick candidate ran a guerrilla-style campaign and “pulled off the greatest upset in American political history despite a torrent of invectiveness and the dismissal by the mainstream media.” He also parses strategy.

“Trump brilliantly picked at Hillary Clinton’s weaknesses, particularly her reputation as a crooked insider, and ignited the passions of out-of-work white men and women from the Rust Belt and beyond, at a time when millions of Americans desperately wanted change,” the author notes.

The book will be published Jan. 17, 2017 — three days before Mr. Trump is inaugurated.

DONNA AND BARBARA

A programming note: The Discovery Channel marks what they call “the watershed event in which the mainstream media went tabloid.” The network showcases author, activist and commentator Donna Rice Hughes on Tuesday at 8 p.m. EDT in the season premiere of “Barbara Walters Presents,” hosted by the veteran broadcaster of the same name. The show title: “The Scandal That Changed History.”

Which scandal? Ms. Walters addresses the 1987 liaison between Mrs. Hughes — she was 29-year-old Donna Rice at the time — and then-Democratic presidential hopeful Gary Hart. An infamous photo of the pair aboard a yacht called “Monkey Business” emerged, and the press went ballistic. However, she used the experience as a teachable moment.

Mrs. Hughes retreated from public life, married and seven years later founded Enough Is Enough — an advocacy group promoting internet safety for children and families, complete with a parental curriculum created in conjunction with the Department of Justice and support from such corporations as McDonald’s and Starbucks. Find Mrs. Hughes’ outreach at Enough.org.

POLL DU JOUR

• 83 percent of Israelis say President-elect Donald Trump is “pro-Israel.”

• 49 percent say there is a “possible chance” the U.S. Embassy will move from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem; 26 percent say there is “no chance,” 22 percent say the move is highly probable.

• 48 percent say there is “no chance” Mr. Trump’s election will lead to a peace deal between Israel and Palestine; 47 percent say there is a “possible chance” there will be a peace deal.

• 43 percent say there is a “possible chance” Mr. Trump will scrap the Iran nuclear deal; 15 percent say there is a very good chance he will scrap it; 42 percent say there is “no chance.”

Source: A Dialog/Ruderman Family Foundation poll of 500 Israeli adults conducted throughout November and released Monday.

• Squawks and complaints to [email protected]

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