Donald Trump is soon leaving office, but there is a case that the United States Supreme Court may hear concerning whether the President has a right to block people on Twitter. Donald Trump v. Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University is a case that concerns the president blocking people on Twitter. If we’ve learned anything these past four years, it’s that Trump loves to use his personal Twitter account. The Obama Administration created the @POTUS account in 2015, and since then, all presidents get access to the @POTUS Twitter account when they take office. Donald Trump has access to this account, but he overwhelmingly uses his @realDonaldTrump Twitter account that he has had since 2009. He has continued to use his unofficial personal account while in office on the daily, sometimes posting over 100 tweets in a single day.
Like any social media user, Trump will block individuals that he does not care to associate with. However, this novel issue begs the question; if a public official who uses a social media account as an extension of his office—by, for example, making official announcements, inviting members of the public to respond, and allowing members of the public to communicate with one another about matters relating to government—violates the First Amendment when he ejects members of the public from that forum based on viewpoint.
Does the Public forum Doctrine precent President Trump from blocking followers?