New Delhi:
A month ahead of the US election, with campaigning at a peak, former President Donald Trump’s automated messages have sparked a viral reaction with an Indian user receiving an update today.
The tweet, from the former President’s X (formerly Twitter) handle, was directed at Roshan Rai, who describes himself as an Indian first and “cricketoholic” in his bio.
“I’ll send you IMPORTANT ELECTION UPDATES for North Carolina. Make sure you are ready to VOTE FOR DONALD J. TRUMP by November 5th. Reply #stop to opt-out” it read.
I’ll send you IMPORTANT ELECTION UPDATES for North Carolina. Make sure you are ready to VOTE FOR DONALD J. TRUMP by November 5th.
Reply #stop to opt-out.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2024
To this, Roshan Rai quipped, “Thanks, but you will never be my President. Kamala Harris will never be my President either. Actually, I am from India.”
Thanks, but you will never be my President.
Kamala Harris will never be my President either.
Actually I am from India 😂 https://t.co/gKbkNYa18P
— Roshan Rai (@RoshanKrRaii) October 3, 2024
Mr Rai’s retort has drawn the attention of several Internet users. It also shows the unexpected reach of Trump’s automated messaging system beyond American borders, thereby highlighting the impact of Trump’s social media strategy, which has been a hallmark of his political approach since 2015.
The X exchange raises questions about the appropriateness of such outreach to international audiences. A study by the National Bureau of Economic Research in 2018, indicated that bots played a critical role in swaying votes during the 2016 elections and Twitter bots may have boosted Donald Trump’s votes by a good 3.23%.
As Trump gears up for the upcoming election next month after having survived not one, but two assassination attempts, his reliance on social media continues to draw both criticism and amusement from users worldwide. Earlier this year, in August, Trump had taken to social media to express his approval for pop star Taylor Swift’s faux endorsement of himself, using AI-generated images. However, this soon turned into an “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” post on social media following Swift’s actual endorsement of Trump’s rival Kamala Harris.
