Hearts & Minds: The missives rain down in world’s first social media war

Something remarkable happened yesterday. A world leader used social media to post the ending of a war. History might prove Donald Trump wrong with his ‘IT’S TIME FOR PEACE!’ posting on Truth Social. This could be a pause and the attacks resume, But what has changed and why what the US president labels ‘THE 12 DAY WAR’ will go down as different is that throughout he has deployed his favourite medium to communicate its progress.

Wars are fought in the open but settled by stealth. While missiles rain down, ‘statecraft’ is deployed and ‘back channels’ are opened. What is discussed remains a closely guarded secret until a deal is reached.

That is the usual patten. In this case, from the outset, Trump has maintained a steady flow of missives seemingly relaying twists and turns and his own thoughts. This is not new for him. Trump conducted two election campaigns via social media; in the White House that’s how he prefers to do his comms – that and the informal briefings during photo-opportunities and aboard Air Force One.

Nothing could be more delicate though than tiptoeing towards a settlement to end a war. The first sign that something may be occurring came via Truth Social. Iran had just attacked US bases, which looked like a feared escalation. Trump said it was ‘a very weak response, which we expected, and have very effectively countered.’ He then thanked Iran for giving advance notice of its intentions to minimise casualties. He knew and he thanked them.

Two hours later came the news, again on Truth Social, that Israel and Iran had agreed to ‘Complete and TOTAL CEASEFIRE.’ They had not said anything and nor did they for several hours, but he said it was over.

His favourite comms method makes others look superfluous. There were his advisers publicly insisting this was not an actual war; there was Trump saying it was. There were the remaining G7 leaders meeting and posing in Canada; there was Trump, returning to the Situation Room and when it suited him, back online. Even his officials’ press conferences have an air of unreality, with everyone wondering, yes, but what is he really thinking, what does Truth Social tell us?

So far, Trump is on his own. Others have not used social media with anything like the same alacrity. But he is setting a new standard and making mainstream media appear slow and behind the curve.

Chris Blackhurst is one of the UK’s foremost business journalists. He was previously Editor of The Independent and City Editor of the Evening Standard.