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Donald Trumps revolting tweets about Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski Thursday make me think we might be witnessing a new version of a very old story about someone using the power of the gods to destroy his enemies, only to be figuratively destroyed by that same power because of his sins.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, I wrote often about Donald Trumps media mastery and the way he used it to shred his opponents. I marveled at the way he thrived in this transitional media era, which baffled so many other politicians and media operatives.

Just as American society is moving from a TV culture to a social media one, so was Trump able to skillfully use both media to his political ends. He could shift in a commercial minute from owning a cable TV interview with his improvisational talk skills, to blasting away on Twitter in the snarky tone of the dominant discourse there. How could a 70-year-old find such a pitch-perfect social media voice?

I believe those media skills not only played a huge role getting him elected, but also in revolutionizing political media at least for the short term.

I wondered, though, once he was in office, if those media skills could be used for governing.

After seeing Thursdays revolting tweets and the widespread outrage in response to them, I am certain Trump has lost control of the fire, and it is only a matter of time before his presidency is consumed by it.

Tweets like the ones he wrote about MSNBCs Brzezinski, coupled with a dozen or so he has written about other women in media and politics, offer an unfiltered look at the darkness and misogyny in his heart. Who could possibly want a man who tweets such things as the nations leader? These are well beyond mean. These are tweets intended to inflict real pain. Is this the person we want representing us to the world?

I have read all the psycho-histories of Richard Nixon. I thought they were pretty dark and sick. But they are not even a warm-up for what these tweets seem to be saying about the mind of the man holding all that power in the White House today.

What might be even more astounding is that Trump is taking the time to watch and tweet such things about a cable TV show and its hosts when millions of Americans are holding their breath wondering if they are about to lose their health care thanks to events taking place in Washington.

Id call it a Greek tragedy if there was any depth of character to the man playing with the fire of social media in this story. But it is still an archetypal tale.

I have to admit I felt some some empathy for Nixon after his fall. I think I understand the toll being a self-made man took on his psyche.

But I promise you this: After tweets like the ones today from Trump, I will feel no pity, weep no tears as the fire of social media that he once harnessed turns on him and takes its toll on his presidency.

david.zurawik@baltsun.com

twitter.com/davidzurawik

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Mika tweets show Trump has lost control of the social media fire - Baltimore Sun (blog)