Get all your news in one place.
100's of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World

Donald Trump is the lord of the edgelords

Donald Trump's account on his social media platform, Truth Social
Donald Trump's account on his social media platform, Truth Social. Photograph: Will Oliver/EPA

Adrian Chiles (Opinion, 4 June) has just discovered the word edgelord – a term that was new to me too – and now he sees it everywhere. He’s not wrong: it’s rife on social media, in podcasts and in YouTube comments. But how did he overlook the edgelord-in-chief himself?

Donald Trump is the archetypal edgelord: endlessly provocative, chronically online, allergic to truth and addicted to the attention his outrage generates. He didn’t just dabble in edgelordery for clicks – he built his own social media megaphone to broadcast it. It’s as if Truth Social had been handed the nuclear codes.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.