Blogs and Twitter

• 2005: Before he was active on Twitter, Trump used to post his opinions about politics and current events on a blog maintained by Trump University’s website. “It is impossible to read Donald Trump's blog without hearing his voice and picturing him typing away in his Turnbull & Asser pajamas, sleep still in his eyes. Otherwise, ‘The Trump Blog’ seems a lot like most other blogs. Which is to say, lightweight and highly egocentric. The Trump Blog is featured on the Web site for Trump University (trumpuniversity.com), which is basically a series of seminars on how to get rich. Mr. Trump and ‘his circle of experts’ run the blog, though The Donald himself ducks in only occasionally. […]On those occasions when he's not talking about himself, Mr. Trump takes on political and economic issues. He doesn't go too deep, though. After all, he's a busy man.” (New York Times, September 3, 2005)
• Trump’s blog on the Trump University website had a lightly moderated comments section. “Blogs have gone corporate, raising doubts about the credibility of a fast-growing Internet innovation once used primarily for private thoughts. Business honchos from Donald Trump to General Motors executive Bob Lutz are among those embracing the new online journals, to the dismay of some blogging purists skeptical about the authenticity of such from-the-top viewpoints. […] Both Trump and Lutz say they allow critical postings on their blogs. The comments ‘have to be really extreme’ to be edited out of Trump's Web journal, said Michael Sexton, president of Trump University, who works with the real estate magnate. Business blogs perform better as soapboxes than as sales or corporate communication tools, because of the doubts they engender, Sexton said. ‘People are increasingly skeptical about what they read on the Internet.’” (Chicago Tribune, February 12, 2006)