Impeachment trial: Trump sets presidential record for most tweets in a day
- Majority were retweets of messages from Republicans and other backers haranguing Democrats over impeachment trial
- In one hour alone, US President Donald Trump bashed out 41 tweets, or one every 88 seconds
US President Donald Trump set a presidential record for activity on his favourite social media platform Wednesday, tweeting and retweeting more than 140 times about the Senate impeachment trial, the Democrats who want to replace him and much, much more.
By 4:25pm (Eastern Time), Trump had barrelled through his previous record of 123 Twitter postings in a day that he set a little over a month ago, according to Factba.se, a service that compiles and analyses data on Trump’s presidency.
Trump set his all-time record for tweets in a day before he became president, with 161 posts in January 2015, according to Factba.se. Most of his tweeting that day was dedicated to plugging his reality television show.
Trump, who began his day in Davos, Switzerland, where he was attending the World Economic Forum, started his Wednesday morning by hammering out 41 tweets between 12am and 1am, or one every 88 seconds.
As the Senate trial began, Trump tweeted about his recent trade deal with China and praised President Xi Jinping as a “man who truly loves his country”.
The vast majority of his postings to his more than 71 million followers were retweets of messages, videos and images from Republican lawmakers and other backers haranguing Democrats over the impeachment trial.
By late Wednesday afternoon, while making his way home from Davos aboard Air Force One, Trump was nearing his all-time 161 record in 2015.
His barrage of tweets included plenty of incendiary posts excoriating Congressman Adam Schiff, one of the House Democratic impeachment managers, and a retweet of a provocative image posted by White House social media director Dan Scavino that shows Trump walking in front of a fiery scene meant to symbolise the incineration of the “Deep State”.
From Donald Trump curbing his Twitter use to Xi Jinping retiring, here’s what won’t happen in 2020 – but probably should
The tweets came as Democrats began laying out a detailed case or the removal of Trump, accusing him at his historic Senate impeachment trial of seeking to cheat to ensure re-election in November.
Trump is accused of withholding military aid from Ukraine to pressure his Ukrainian counterpart to announce an investigation into Democrat Joe Biden.
Republicans, who hold a 53 to 47 edge in the Senate, have shown little inclination to prosecute the president.
They have also shot down repeated efforts by Democrats to introduce White House witnesses and documents at the start of just the third impeachment trial in US history.
Senators are barred from having their mobile phones and computers at their desks – meaning they missed Trump’s tweet barrage in real time.
“We’re all on a digital detox,” said Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar. “It meant people actually had to look at each other instead of looking down at their phones.”
Bizarre ‘covfefe’ tweet: is chronic sleep deprivation impairing Trump’s brain, performance?
The rules are intended to keep the chamber’s 100 members focused on the momentous task at hand.
Members of both parties, including the four Democratic senators running for president, relied on their staff to keep up communications with voters, constituents and others outside the chamber.
A CNN political analyst asked whether tweets from Republican Senator Ted Cruz meant he had smuggled in his phone, prompting his office to respond that staffers were putting out the messages.
And at least eight senators reportedly wore Apple Watches to the impeachment trial, a violation of senate rules, Roll Call reported.
Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Reuters
