President Donald Trump.Photo: Zach Gibson - Pool/GettyStacks of printouts ready to be marked up with a Sharpie. Aides at theready to Google and tweet for him. A conspicuous lack of a computer at his desk.These and other details have epitomized President Donald Trump‘s bizarre relationship with technology over the years, which was chronicled anew in aNew York Timesarticle on Wednesday.According to numerous reports dating back to before Trump launched his campaign, he has long preferred less high-tech methods of communication — including having articles printed out and brought to him for markup to then be mailed off.Paradoxically, Trump has mastered social media (or at least Twitter) to broadcast his message to the world. Since becoming president — where he must preside over an increasingly technocratic country home to companies like Apple, Facebook and Google — Trump’s views have evolved, though he retains a skepticism of some cutting-edge advancements.In December, he boasted he knew technology “better than anyone” and advocated for simpler, “old-fashioned” structures to improve border security.“The Democrats are trying to belittle the concept of a Wall, calling it old fashioned. The fact is there is nothing else’s that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years,” hetweeted. “It’s like the wheel, there is nothing better.”Trump’s views on technology returned to the headlines this week when he tweeted on Tuesday about the devastating Ethiopian Airlines plane crash thatkilled all 157 of its passengerslast weekend.“Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly,” hewrote. “Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better.”Earlier this month, as theTimesnoted on Wednesday, Trumpmocked the idea of wind powerwhile railing against the proposed Green New Deal, a progressive proposal to fight climate change. Trump seemed to believe wind power was literally as simple as it sounded.“When the wind stops blowing, that’s the end of your electric,” he said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.In 2017, Trumptold TIMEthat he told the Navy they should return to steam technology instead of using digital technology for a new aircraft carrier.“They have digital,” he said. “What is digital? And it’s very complicated, you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out.”Trump told the magazine that when the Navy said they were “staying with digital,” he responded, “‘No you’re not. You’re going to goddamned steam, the digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it’s no good.’ ”WhilePolitico reported in 2016that the president didn’t often use his computer (an Apple), reporters who visited his office before he was elected said there was no computer in sight.After Trump tweeted last year about Googling news stories about himself,Timescorrespondent Maggie Habermansaid, “He doesn’t use a computer. Someone is doing the googling but not him.”ABC White House reporter Tara Palmeriadded to that: “Sometimes Trump reads things on a iPad that he calls ‘the flat one.’ ”RELATED VIDEO: President Trump Calls Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘Tim Apple’Though Trump may not mention technology nearly as often as other topics, his administration has made major tech policy moves,according toWired. For example the White House supported the repeal of net neutrality rules which would have, supporters said, preserved equal access to the Internet.Trump has also signed executive orderspromoting artificial intelligenceand developing more fifth-generation wireless technology in the United States, according to theTimes.On Twitter, he recently advocated for better and better wireless cellular technology such as 5G. “American companies must step up their efforts, or get left behind,” hewrote.But in a characteristic slip, Trump also referred to 6G — which does not yet exist.
President Donald Trump.Photo: Zach Gibson - Pool/Getty
Stacks of printouts ready to be marked up with a Sharpie. Aides at theready to Google and tweet for him. A conspicuous lack of a computer at his desk.These and other details have epitomized President Donald Trump‘s bizarre relationship with technology over the years, which was chronicled anew in aNew York Timesarticle on Wednesday.According to numerous reports dating back to before Trump launched his campaign, he has long preferred less high-tech methods of communication — including having articles printed out and brought to him for markup to then be mailed off.Paradoxically, Trump has mastered social media (or at least Twitter) to broadcast his message to the world. Since becoming president — where he must preside over an increasingly technocratic country home to companies like Apple, Facebook and Google — Trump’s views have evolved, though he retains a skepticism of some cutting-edge advancements.In December, he boasted he knew technology “better than anyone” and advocated for simpler, “old-fashioned” structures to improve border security.“The Democrats are trying to belittle the concept of a Wall, calling it old fashioned. The fact is there is nothing else’s that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years,” hetweeted. “It’s like the wheel, there is nothing better.”Trump’s views on technology returned to the headlines this week when he tweeted on Tuesday about the devastating Ethiopian Airlines plane crash thatkilled all 157 of its passengerslast weekend.“Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly,” hewrote. “Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better.”Earlier this month, as theTimesnoted on Wednesday, Trumpmocked the idea of wind powerwhile railing against the proposed Green New Deal, a progressive proposal to fight climate change. Trump seemed to believe wind power was literally as simple as it sounded.“When the wind stops blowing, that’s the end of your electric,” he said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.In 2017, Trumptold TIMEthat he told the Navy they should return to steam technology instead of using digital technology for a new aircraft carrier.“They have digital,” he said. “What is digital? And it’s very complicated, you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out.”Trump told the magazine that when the Navy said they were “staying with digital,” he responded, “‘No you’re not. You’re going to goddamned steam, the digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it’s no good.’ ”WhilePolitico reported in 2016that the president didn’t often use his computer (an Apple), reporters who visited his office before he was elected said there was no computer in sight.After Trump tweeted last year about Googling news stories about himself,Timescorrespondent Maggie Habermansaid, “He doesn’t use a computer. Someone is doing the googling but not him.”ABC White House reporter Tara Palmeriadded to that: “Sometimes Trump reads things on a iPad that he calls ‘the flat one.’ ”RELATED VIDEO: President Trump Calls Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘Tim Apple’Though Trump may not mention technology nearly as often as other topics, his administration has made major tech policy moves,according toWired. For example the White House supported the repeal of net neutrality rules which would have, supporters said, preserved equal access to the Internet.Trump has also signed executive orderspromoting artificial intelligenceand developing more fifth-generation wireless technology in the United States, according to theTimes.On Twitter, he recently advocated for better and better wireless cellular technology such as 5G. “American companies must step up their efforts, or get left behind,” hewrote.But in a characteristic slip, Trump also referred to 6G — which does not yet exist.
Stacks of printouts ready to be marked up with a Sharpie. Aides at theready to Google and tweet for him. A conspicuous lack of a computer at his desk.
These and other details have epitomized President Donald Trump‘s bizarre relationship with technology over the years, which was chronicled anew in aNew York Timesarticle on Wednesday.
According to numerous reports dating back to before Trump launched his campaign, he has long preferred less high-tech methods of communication — including having articles printed out and brought to him for markup to then be mailed off.
Paradoxically, Trump has mastered social media (or at least Twitter) to broadcast his message to the world. Since becoming president — where he must preside over an increasingly technocratic country home to companies like Apple, Facebook and Google — Trump’s views have evolved, though he retains a skepticism of some cutting-edge advancements.
In December, he boasted he knew technology “better than anyone” and advocated for simpler, “old-fashioned” structures to improve border security.
“The Democrats are trying to belittle the concept of a Wall, calling it old fashioned. The fact is there is nothing else’s that will work, and that has been true for thousands of years,” hetweeted. “It’s like the wheel, there is nothing better.”
Trump’s views on technology returned to the headlines this week when he tweeted on Tuesday about the devastating Ethiopian Airlines plane crash thatkilled all 157 of its passengerslast weekend.
“Airplanes are becoming far too complex to fly,” hewrote. “Pilots are no longer needed, but rather computer scientists from MIT. I see it all the time in many products. Always seeking to go one unnecessary step further, when often old and simpler is far better.”
Earlier this month, as theTimesnoted on Wednesday, Trumpmocked the idea of wind powerwhile railing against the proposed Green New Deal, a progressive proposal to fight climate change. Trump seemed to believe wind power was literally as simple as it sounded.
“When the wind stops blowing, that’s the end of your electric,” he said during a speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
In 2017, Trumptold TIMEthat he told the Navy they should return to steam technology instead of using digital technology for a new aircraft carrier.
“They have digital,” he said. “What is digital? And it’s very complicated, you have to be Albert Einstein to figure it out.”
Trump told the magazine that when the Navy said they were “staying with digital,” he responded, “‘No you’re not. You’re going to goddamned steam, the digital costs hundreds of millions of dollars more money and it’s no good.’ ”
WhilePolitico reported in 2016that the president didn’t often use his computer (an Apple), reporters who visited his office before he was elected said there was no computer in sight.
After Trump tweeted last year about Googling news stories about himself,Timescorrespondent Maggie Habermansaid, “He doesn’t use a computer. Someone is doing the googling but not him.”
ABC White House reporter Tara Palmeriadded to that: “Sometimes Trump reads things on a iPad that he calls ‘the flat one.’ ”
RELATED VIDEO: President Trump Calls Apple CEO Tim Cook ‘Tim Apple’
Though Trump may not mention technology nearly as often as other topics, his administration has made major tech policy moves,according toWired. For example the White House supported the repeal of net neutrality rules which would have, supporters said, preserved equal access to the Internet.
Trump has also signed executive orderspromoting artificial intelligenceand developing more fifth-generation wireless technology in the United States, according to theTimes.
On Twitter, he recently advocated for better and better wireless cellular technology such as 5G. “American companies must step up their efforts, or get left behind,” hewrote.
But in a characteristic slip, Trump also referred to 6G — which does not yet exist.
source: people.com
