Merriam-Webster defines "dictionary" as "a reference book listing alphabetically terms or names." But for President Donald Trump right now, the dictionary has become a sassy antagonist, NBC News reported.
The one-hundred-and-sixty-some-year-old classroom fixture has been using Trump's favorite social media platform, Twitter, to correct his spelling, remind his advisers what "facts" are, and highlight a zeitgeist in which "fascism" has become one of the lexicon's most searched entries.
With successful tweets responding to scrutinized gaffs, including White House Counselor Kellyanne Conway's defense of "alternative facts," Merriam-Webster established itself as one of the few remaining arbiters of truth, one of the reasons its Twitter account now has more than 270,000 followers. The public reaction has been "big league," as the president might say.
Lauren Naturale, the dictionary's Content and Social Media Manager told NBC News that the "response was overwhelmingly positive" to the tweets, adding they are "among the most viral tweets we've ever had."
