Donald Trump is defending his regular use of social media, especially Twitter, saying he may not have won the US presidency without it.
Donald Trump has an official @POTUS Twitter account, but more often tweets from his personal account Photo: RNZ / Kate Newton
In an interview due to air on Fox Business Network Mr Trump said he can bypass what he labels unfair media coverage by speaking directly.
"Tweeting is like a typewriter - when I put it out, you put it immediately on your show," he said, according to a transcript released by the network.
"I doubt I would be here if weren't for social media, to be honest with you."
Mr Trump called his social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram "a tremendous platform".
"When somebody says something about me, I am able to go bing, bing, bing and I take care of it. The other way, I would never be get the word out," he said.
Republican leaders have regularly urged Mr Trump to avoid or cut back on tweets and Mr Trump acknowledged some friends suggest he not use social media.
Mr Trump regularly mounts attacks on Twitter, especially at news media and political opponents, often sending out missives in the early morning or late evening hours.
At times, the tweets have contained factual inaccuracies and personal attacks.
In March, for example, Mr Trump asserted without evidence that President Barack Obama had ordered Trump Tower in New York wiretapped - something Obama denied.
In September, the FBI and the Justice Department said in a court filing they have no records related to wiretaps as described by tweets from Trump.
He recently excoriated NFL players for taking a knee during the National Anthem.
He also criticized Senator Bob Corker in a series of tweets prompting Mr Corker to respond: "It's a shame the White House has become an adult day care centre. Someone obviously missed their shift this morning."
White House chief of staff John Kelly said last week some have criticised him for failing to control Mr Trump's tweeting.
"I was not brought to this job to control anything but the flow of information to our president," Mr Kelly said.
In July, Mr Trump was sued by seven individuals he has blocked on Twitter. The Justice Department said the suit should be dismissed, arguing it "rests on the unsupported and erroneous premise that the president's Twitter account is a public forum for First Amendment purposes".
-Reuters
