“I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th.” tweets Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States. In 2017, social media is more important than ever. Through Twitter, Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook, and more, people all over the world express their opinions about pretty much any topic they can think of. Therefore, it is unsurprising that the President of the United States, Donald Trump is involved in it as well. However, opinions can be disagreed with, just like it is outside of the virtual world. Situations like these are seen though Trump’s opinions on the NFL, and Puerto Rico. 
         

Through social media such as Fantasy Football, the NFL engages and connects watchers across the country, while Trump attacks them via Twitter. The NFL, National Football League is, an American association that has been around since 1920. Football is arguably the renowned American sport. Therefore, when Trump went after the NFL, it led to outrage from fans across the country, forming an alliance despite team rivalries in the face of what was a threat to their national pride. "The booing at the NFL football game last night, when the entire Dallas team dropped to its knees, was loudest I have ever heard, great anger." tweeted our 45th president, Donald J. Trump. Teams from across the league chose to sit the national anthem out in the locker room, or to stand or kneel with locked arms. Why are they kneeling? Is there another purpose to this act of defiance?”, one may ask. This whole “fiasco” all started on August 26th, 2016, when Colin Kaepernick, the Quarterback of the 49ers knelt in protest for Black Lives Matter. Soon, his some of his teammates joined him. Kaepernick continued this act of freedom of speech until he was released at the end of the season. When the 2017 NFL season kicked off, more players from teams other than the 49ers began to kneel in the absence of Kaepernick to show unification with Black Lives Matter. At an Alabama rally, Donald Trump commented that people would "...love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, 'Get that son of a b---- off the field right now, out — he's fired!'”. The President had brought politics into the football field, with him on one team, versus the players protesting with Black Lives Matter and the entirety of the NFL on the other. This was the president, the person in charge, the face of America, avid tweeter and influencer of the adolescence. People all around the country look up to the President as a role model and leader to guide the U.S. through good and bad times, to help it prosper. Now, the president harshly insults others and seems like an adolescent child in an adult body. Is this who parents want their children to be like when they grow up? It seem that this businessman turned president is against anything “disrespecting the flag”. Is it disrespecting the flag to show an act of free speech? Is it “disrespecting the flag” to support one of the races in this “melting pot” country? Is this not one of the key principles America was founded upon? If people do not act upon their values and fight for them, there will never be any progress in society. What will the future be like if people prefer to click on “E news The Rundown” rather than “CNN The Update” on Snapchat? The rest of the world will move forward, leaving the US frozen in time. It seems as though the values of this country are being clouded by ego and being morphed into a view it is not. Using social media as his sword, Donald Trump tried to cut the U.S apart. One of the words in this country’s name is “United”. How is this supposed to be fulfilled if the supposed leader is dividing it? Therefore, when Trump clearly conveyed his opinion of the NFL using his job, and enforced it by social media, it told the citizens of the United States that they should be quiet and blindly follow what are thought to be the laws.
         

On September 20, 2017, Category 4 Hurricane Maria makes landfall at the crack of dawn on Puerto Rico, while many organizations on the mainland used social media to spread awareness and help prepare for the soon to be suffering citizens. The 3.4 million people in Puerto Rico will not see the sunrise through 155 miles per hour winds and lashing rainfall, flood water sweeps the streets dirty with dirt and miscellaneous items from homes- one could see a plastic bag here, or a laundry basket there- and the power is out and there is no hope of it returning anytime in the near future. As Maria passes, a disturbing peace is left. Since Puerto Rico is an U.S. Territory, it is America’s responsibility to help; supplies and help pour in from good-hearted mainland Americans, hoping to help the devastated island. Hundreds of shipping containers with food and supplies were stuck on the loading dock with no drivers to bring them to places of need due to missing/damaged roads, lack of drivers, and lack of correspondence with the companies. Puerto Rico is struggling, and the lack of effort to help from corporations is astounding, yet when the president visited, he said “I hate to tell you, Puerto Rico, but you've thrown our budget a little out of whack, because we've spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico". 3.4 million people, 3.4 million U.S. citizens are suffering without power and food. Instead of focusing on this humanitarian crisis, he comments about how Puerto Rico is ruining the budget. That is the least of the problems. Puerto Ricans are people too, they are Americans too. At the same time, he argues about the NFL showing unity. The definition for hypocrisy is the when one fakes an differing opinion from their actual viewpoint. Why is he trying to separate and unify a country at the same time? What is his actual opinion? Trump yet again used social media to crack his cruel whip. After San Juan’s mayor begs for help for her citizens, her large family of the entire community of San Juan, Trump smacks back with a tweet calling her a poor leader, basically stating that she should have let these people suffer in the face of a humanitarian crisis. Even more recently, he has threatened to pull emergency responders. While many benevolent people donate millions of dollars to helping these people, and use social media to spread awareness, Trump uses it to insult the suffering people and threaten their lives even more than it already is.
         

In essence, Donald Trump is a hypocrite who uses social media and his powerful position to remark on current subjects such as the NFL and Puerto Rico, where social media should be used to help and encourage them.