With two days remaining on the 2017 calendar, President Donald Trump is not only approaching the first anniversary of his inauguration, but the conclusion of a year in which he harnessed the power of social media and the internet unlike any chief executive before him.
Trump’s eight-year-old Twitter account frequently steered the daily news cycle and its messages, at times both garrulous and revelatory, racked up nearly 42 million total retweets and over 180 million likes across over 2,150 posts.
Here’s a look back at @realDonaldTrump’s five most liked and retweeted tweets from 2017:
1. Nov. 12 – Kim Jong Un
“Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me “old,” when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’ Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend – and maybe someday that will happen!”
As Trump traveled through Asia in November, he wrote the tweet about Kim Jong Un in what was then the latest salvo in an escalating war of words as North Korea continued to engage in missile tests throughout 2017 and the U.S. president threatened military action.
2. Jul. 2 – CNN
“#FraudNewsCNN #FNN”
In his ongoing criticism of the media, Trump took particular aim at CNN, which he labeled, “fraud news.” Trump’s July tweet featured a video of him tackling a man with a CNN logo superimposed over his head in the midst of a wrestling match.
3. Jan. 22 – “Peaceful protests”
“Peaceful protests are a hallmark of our democracy. Even if I don’t always agree, I recognize the rights of people to express their views.”
A day after Women’s March protests swept the country in response to his inauguration, Trump commented that he “recognize[d] the rights of people to express their views,” after first criticizing the protesters when he asked in an earlier tweet why they didn’t vote.
4. Oct. 2 – Las Vegas
“My warmest condolences and sympathies to the victims and families of the terrible Las Vegas shooting. God bless you!”
The president’s condolence message in the aftermath of the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in October came ahead of his trip to Las Vegas where he met with victims, first responders and law enforcement officials.
5. Jan. 20 – Inaugural ball
“THANK YOU for another wonderful evening in Washington, D.C. TOGETHER, we will MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN”
Trump shared a video of his inauguration night dance with First Lady Melania Trump just before midnight on Inauguartion Day and included his signature campaign promise to “make America great again.”
1. Jul. 2 – CNN
“#FraudNewsCNN #FNN”
2. Nov. 12 – Kim Jong Un
“Why would Kim Jong-un insult me by calling me “old,” when I would NEVER call him ‘short and fat?’ Oh well, I try so hard to be his friend – and maybe someday that will happen!”
3 and 4. Nov. 6 – Saudi Arabia
“I have great confidence in King Salman and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, they know exactly what they are doing….”
“….Some of those they are harshly treating have been “milking” their country for years!”
In back-to-back tweets threaded together, Trump expressed his confidence in the Middle Eastern U.S. ally after widespread arrests were made in what Saudi Arabia said was an anti-corruption investigation.
Not only was the second tweet the only post of Trump’s more than 2,150 in 2017 in which the number of retweets was greater than the number of likes, the spread was greater than 30,000, making the message a highly unusual outlier from the year’s archive.
5. May 20 – Middle East trip
Great to be in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Looking forward to the afternoon and evening ahead. #POTUSAbroad
In an earlier post mentioning Saudi Arabia, Trump noted his pleasure at visiting the city of Riyadh, the initial stop on a trip through the Middle East and Europe in May — his first international travel as president.
