Obama offers advice to politicians: 'Think before you tweet'
veiled swipe at  his  White House successor   former President Obama on Friday offered advice to politicians on how best to use Twitter . “ Think before you tweet  ”  Obama  said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi   India .  The former President  described social media as a powerful tool capable of being wielded for good or ill . In making the point    Obama  appeared careful not to utter the name of Donald Trump or refer to  him  directly . President Trump revives birther claims against  Obama  “ Look   I ' ve got 100 million Twitter followers  ”  Obama  said . “ I actually have more than other people who use it more often .”  Former President Obama  has 97 million Twitter followers . ( CATHAL MCNAUGHTON / REUTERS )  Obama  in fact has 97 million followers . President Trump has 44 million .  Obama  emphasized that  he  believes in using spellcheck and punctuation in social media posts . Macron mum on  Obama  meal plans to avoid angering Trump : report “ Which my daughters think is odd   ” Obama  . “ They were explaining to us how if you put a period at the end of a sentence it sounds harsh . I said   ‘ No   that ’ s English . That ’ s how you know the thought is finished .’” Obama ’ s appearance at the invite - only forum marked one of his first global outings as a private citizen since leaving the White House . In his wide - ranging and often light - hearted address    Obama  avoided taking shots at  Trump  . The former president made an artful dodge when asked whether Donald Duck or  Donald Trump  reflected the real America . Ivanka Trump   Chelsea Clinton defend  Malia Obama  against media Former President Obama ' s  retirement Obama  said Americans were at times kind and noble and at others cruel and short - sighted others . “ It is just this cacophony of life . And it throws up all kinds of variety  ” he said . “ And there are political trends in America that I don ’ t agree with or abide by   but I recognize as part of a running thread in American life .”  Obama  advised the audience to look inward when turned off by a politician . “ If you see a politician doing things that are questionable   one of the things as a citizen is to ask yourself   ‘ Am I encouraging   or supporting or giving license to the values I ' m hearing out of the politician ?’”  Obama  said . Texas woman sent bomb to  Obama  because she didn ' t like him “ Because frankly   politicians tend to be more of a mirror and more of a reflection of forces in the society .”  Obama  praised India ’ s position on climate change and lamented the opinion of those who claim it isn ’ t real . President Trump has 44 million Twitter followers . ( Susan Walsh / AP ) Trump   who has vowed to pull the U . S . out of the Paris climate accord   has previously called climate change a hoax . “ If you ' re saying it ’ s a hoax   then there ’ s no way for us to bridge our differences in a constructive way  ” Obama said .
veiled swipe at [TGT] on Friday offered advice to politicians on how best to use Twitter . “ Think before you tweet  ”  [TGT]said at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi   India .  The former President  described social media as a powerful tool capable of being wielded for good or ill . In making the point    [TGT]appeared careful not to utter the name of Donald Trump or refer to  him  directly . President Trump revives birther claims against [TGT]“ Look   I ' ve got 100 million Twitter followers  ”  [TGT]said . “ I actually have more than other people who use it more often .”  [TGT]has 97 million Twitter followers . ( CATHAL MCNAUGHTON / REUTERS )  [TGT]in fact has 97 million followers . President Trump has 44 million .  [TGT]emphasized that  [TGT]  believes in using spellcheck and punctuation in social media posts . Macron mum on  [TGT]meal plans to avoid angering Trump : report “ Which my daughters think is odd   ” [TGT]. “ They were explaining to us how if you put a period at the end of a sentence it sounds harsh . I said   ‘ No   that ’ s English . That ’ s how you know the thought is finished .’” [TGT] appearance at the invite - only forum marked one of [TGT] first global outings as a private citizen since leaving the White House . In [TGT] wide - ranging and often light - hearted address    [TGT]avoided taking shots at  Trump  . The former president made an artful dodge when asked whether Donald Duck or  Donald Trump  reflected the real America . Ivanka Trump   Chelsea Clinton defend  Malia Obama  against media Former President Obama ' s  retirement Obama  said Americans were at times kind and noble and at others cruel and short - sighted others . “ It is just this cacophony of life . And it throws up all kinds of variety  ” he said . “ And there are political trends in America that I don ’ t agree with or abide by   but I recognize as part of a running thread in American life .”  [TGT]advised the audience to look inward when turned off by a politician . “ If you see a politician doing things that are questionable   one of the things as a citizen is to ask yourself   ‘ Am I encouraging   or supporting or giving license to the values I ' m hearing out of the politician ?’”  [TGT]said . Texas woman sent bomb to [TGT]because she didn ' t like [TGT] “ Because frankly   politicians tend to be more of a mirror and more of a reflection of forces in the society .”  [TGT]praised India ’ s position on climate change and lamented the opinion of those who claim it isn ’ t real . President Trump has 44 million Twitter followers . ( Susan Walsh / AP ) Trump   who has vowed to pull the U . S . out of the Paris climate accord   has previously called climate change a hoax . “ If you ' re saying it ’ s a hoax   then there ’ s no way for us to bridge our differences in a constructive way  ” [TGT] said .