













President Donald Trump
assumed office January 2017
Date Joined | March 2009 |
Tweets | 36,500 |
Twitter Followers | 44,000,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (May 2016 figure) | 67,540,000 |
Governed Population | 325,442,900 |
GDP/Capita | $56,116 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 89 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 11.64 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | 43.82 |
Donald Trump’s name was synonymous with Twitter even before he ran for his very first political office, which happened to be President of the United States. Several databases could be filled with what has been written about his Twitter usage prior to taking office and during the fiery drudge march of the campaign. Even more has been written about his decision to keep his private twitter account (and prolifically use it) since he became the 45th President of the United States in January. In the context of this project, he is both an anomaly and the zenith of the group of leaders analyzed on this site, but not for the most obvious reasons.
President Trump is not the most prolific tweeter of those assembled. Both of his accounts combined boast only (if one can in good conscience use that word here) 38,283 tweets. President Maduro of Venezuela in comparison has over 89,000 tweets, and he joined the platform 4 years after President Trump did. However, the vast majority of these are retweets.
President Trump is also not the only one with a passionate devotion to the exclamation point. On each of the leader profiles pages you will find a calculation of the average number of exclamation points used in an average week on Twitter.
What makes him unique is how famous he is for specifically for Twitter, and the level of emotion (good or bad) he inspires in readers and followers to justify that infamy.
For more resources about Donald Trump’s Twitter, please see ‘Trump on Twitter Resources’ in main menu.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi
assumed office May 2014
Date Joined | January 2009 |
Tweets | 17,400 |
Twitter Followers | 37,500,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (May 2016 figure) | 41,190,000 |
Governed Population | 1,345,509,300 |
GDP/Capita | $1,598 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 77 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 5.35 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | 4.12 |
Prime Minister Modi maintains a robust Twitter presence which speaks to his attempt to engage his massive constituency, which is known for loving social media, especially Twitter. President Modi’s dignified yet opinionated content aligns well with his public persona.
The graph above codes themes from Prime Minister Modi’s Twitter account over time.
Image via TheHindu.com; I do not claim ownership of this image.
Pope Francis
papacy began March 2013
Date Joined | February 2012 |
Tweets | 1,385 |
Twitter Followers | 15,400,000 |
Twitter Users in Governed Country | No data, N/A |
Governed Population | Vatican City: 796 Catholics Worldwide (2015 figure): 1,285,000 |
GDP/Capita | $21,198 |
Freedom Score | No data |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 0.65 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | 0.78 |
Pope Francis has been notably engaged on Twitter, inspiring millions daily with personal, heartfelt content that befits his famous sincerity. He does not simply tweet religious reflections, but a large portion of his content deals with contentious issues that he is unafraid to acknowledge and try to help mediate with calls to aid and tolerance.
NOTES: GDP/Capita via Encyclopedia.com, world population of Catholics via Pontifical Yearbook 2017
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan
assumed office August 2014 • Served as Prime Minister March 2003 to August 2014
Date Joined | August 2009 |
Tweets | 4,851 |
Twitter Followers | 11,800,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2014 figure based on monthly usage) | 6,500,000* |
Governed Population | 81,243,498 |
GDP/Capita | $9,126 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 38 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 1.6 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | .96 |
Of the word frequency analyses ran on the leaders profiled on this site, Turkey’s was the only one to contain ‘terror’ in the top echelon. ‘Continuation’ was not unique, but it does help to refine the narrative that can be seen from this word frequency analysis. Use of the country name was uniformly (and unsurprisingly) one of the highest frequency words across all accounts, though Turkey is one of the highest scorers in this regard. Many of the other words align with other leaders’ content.
Together, these three words possibly point to the conservative nationalism portrayed as a recoil against terror threats and attacks on Turkey in recent (and not so recent) years. Recent tragedies include the Reina nightclub massacre in Istanbul in January 2017, the Ataturk Airport bomb and gun attack in June 2016, and the very public assassination of the Russian ambassador to Turkey in an art gallery in December 2016. The UK warns that “terrorists are very likely to try to carry out attacks in Turkey” on their Foreign Travel Advice page.
Partially as a response to these events- and the continued threat of many more by Kurdish separatist group TAK and Daesh (ISIL), among others, President Erdoğan has cracked down on freedoms (the country’s Freedom Score is 38/100), and leaned unambiguously into re-authoritarianism based on fierce nationalism… a potential continuation of Turkey’s old glories and imperialistic past.
- bir: one
- Türkiye: Turkey
- biz: we
- tüm: all
- yeni: new
- ediyorum: I would
- büyük: big
- millet: nation
- çok: very
- daha: more
- belediye: municipality
- baŞkan: president
- adayimiz: our candidate
- diliyorum: I wish
- yil: year
- Asia
- asla: never
- devam: continuation
- terör: terror
- devlet: state
*Governed population on Twitter figure via Digital News Report.
President Joko Widodo
assumed office October 2014
Date Joined | September 2011 |
Tweets | 806 |
Twitter Followers | 9,140,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2015 figure) | 16,800,000* |
Governed Population | 265,186,200 |
GDP/Capita | $3,346 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 65 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 0.9** |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | .18 |
President Widodo has signed his initials (JKW) on 777 of the 806 tweets on his account. While many of the other leaders have disclaimers on their accounts saying that tweets are written by staff unless designated with the leader’s initials, President Widodo has spun this norm and seems to use it to personalize his social media presence even further. This warm presence can be seen in his account’s word frequency highest scores including ‘come on!’ and ‘congratulations.’ However, he also takes a pragmatic approach to his tweets, as can be seen with the frequency of the word ‘economy’- this was a unique high-scoring entry among the accounts analyzed
Twitter was instrumental in his election and he excels at social media in general. Read more:
- Jakarta Globe: First ‘Twitter Election’ Sets Record with Support for Jokowi
- Mashable: Indonesia’s president is a social media pro and he’s got more followers than Justin Trudeau
**It seems that while President Widodo joined Twitter in 2011, he did not begin posting until (or he reset his account on) June 20th, 2015. His tweets per day were calculated based on this date and it holds up based on the pace at which he posts on his account during this project’s research period.
- kita: we
- Indonesia
- saya: I
- harus: must
- selamat: congratulations
- hari: day
- rakyat: people
- bisa: can
- ekonomi: economy
- semua: all
- tahun: year
- negara: country
- bersama: together
- bangsa: nation
- ayo: come on!
- semoga: hopefully
- tidak: no
- terus: continue
- baru: new
- masyarakat: community
His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
Prime Minister
Vice President
assumed office February 2006
Date Joined | June 2009 |
Tweets | 5,126 |
Twitter Followers | 8,560,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2015 figure) | 56% of population (approximately 5,297,800 users) |
Governed Population | 9,460,400 |
GDP/Capita | $40,439 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 20 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 1.65 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week (in English posts) | 0 |
Sheikh Mohammed posts regularly in English in addition to Arabic as the word cloud shows, but the word frequency also tells this. High-scoring entries include not only the UAE and its greatest city, but in the top 15 are also ‘Indonesia,’ ‘world’ (in English), ‘Global’ and ‘the world.’
The UAE and Sheikh Mohammed himself are famous for technological advancement and global partnerships to bring that about. The presence of ‘future’ in English and Arabic and the words mentioned above suggest that he uses his Twitter account to promote this goal.
This is also a religiously conservative and nationalistic country, and the presence of ‘Allah,’ ‘Zayed’ and ‘Mohammed’ (though this is also his name) in the top 20 results, combined with the other words, sketch the contradiction (to Westerners) at the heart of this wealthy, decidedly not free nation.
Sheikh Mohammed’s tweets are extremely dignified and often interesting. It is not obvious whether or not he or his staff post his content, but the level of engagement with the platform is high. He is the most followed leader in the Arab world, and the only Middle-Eastern leader to make the top 10 most followed leaders of the world.
Note: The President of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, does not have a public Twitter account, but Sheikh Mohammed plays a very significant part in governance of the state.
- اليوم: today
- الإمارات, الامارات: United Arab Emirates
- UAE
- الله: Allah
- today
- دبي: Dubai
- Indonesia
- دولة: Country
- زايد: Zayed (Wikipedia disabmiguation)
- world
- الدولة: Country
- Dubai
- العالمية: Global
- العالم: the world
- new
- عام: Public
- المستقبل: the future
- future
- محمد: Mohammed
- الحكومية: Governmental organizations
President Enrique Peña Nieto
assumed office December 2012
Date Joined | March 2007 |
Tweets | 5,248 |
Twitter Followers | 6,980,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2016 figure) | 9,620,000 |
Governed Population | 129,843,600 |
GDP/Capita | $9,005 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 65 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 2.37* |
Exclamation Marks Per Week (in English posts) | 1.66 |
- México
- hoy: today
- mexicanos: Mexicans
- país: country
- felicidades: congratulations
- gran: great
- nacional: national
- @gobrep
- día: day
- compromiso: compromise
- gobierno: government
- reconocimiento: recognition
- familiares: relatives
- vida: life
- desarrollo: development
- condolencias: condolences
- presidente: president
- @gobmx
- trabajo: job
- solidaridad: solidarity
Resources:
Twitter Moment Timeline of President Trump’s visit with President Peña Nieto in 2016
*While President Peña Nieto joined Twitter in 2007, it appears his first public Tweet did not occur until November 8th, 2011. This was the date used to calculate average number of tweets per day.
Date Joined | January 2013 |
Tweets | 320 |
Twitter Followers | 6,740,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2016 figure) | 4,990,000 |
Governed Population | 33,200,510 |
GDP/Capita | $20,482 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 10 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | .18 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | N/A |
- الأمير: the prince
- يستقبل: Receive
- رئيس, الرئيس: President
- المملكة: The kingdon
- الملك: The King
- عبدالعزيز: Abdul Azeez (Saudi Arabia founder)
- البلدين: the two countries
- وزير: minister
- التعاون: Cooperat(e)
- نيابة: Prosecution
- يلتقي: Meet
- المشترك: Common
- الدفاع: Defense
- الله: Allah
- مجلس: board
- اليوم: Today
- ذات: Related
- يصل: Reach
- الحرمين: Haramain (high speed rail project)
- يبحث: he searches
President Juan Manuel Santos
assumed office August 2010
Date Joined | August 2009 |
Tweets | 16,200 |
Twitter Followers | 5,220,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2015 figure) | 6,000,000* |
Governed Population | 49,236,044 |
GDP/Capita | $6,056 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 64 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 5.37 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week (in English posts) | 5.37 |
- paz: peace
- Colombia
- país: country
- hoy: today
- colomianos: Colombians
- millones: millions
- mejor: better
- gracias: Thank you
- mil: thousand
- año: year
- gobierno: government
- Mocoa (devastating 2017 landslide)
- apoyo: support for
- gran: great
- mundo: world
- construcción: construction
- educación: education
- inversión: inversion
- familias: families
- seguridad: security
- solidaridad: solidarity
*Source: Online around the World: A Geographic Encyclopedia of the Internet, Social Media, and Mobile Apps (2017), edited by by Laura M. Steckman and Marilyn J. Andrews (p.57)
Prime Minister Mohd Najib Tun Razak
assumed office April 2009
Date Joined | September 2008 |
Tweets | 12,200 |
Twitter Followers | 3,920,00 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2015 figure) | 1,700,00 |
Governed Population | 31,802,640 |
GDP/Capita | $9,768 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 44 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 3.63 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | 7 |
- saya: me
- UTK: Special Actions Unit of Royal Police
- KPD: financial cooperative police society
- #bajet2017
- Malaysia
- negara: country
- Allah
- #bajet2018
- hari: day
- negara: country
- DLM: Digital Lifestyle Malaysia
- AMP: Corporation that maintains Malaysian Sea Surveillance System (MSSS)
- tahun: year
- semua: all
- kerajaan: government
- rakyat: people
- insya: (insyaAllah)
- rumah: home
Note: Malaysia’s Sultan, Muhammad V of Kelantan, does not have a Twitter account
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
assumed office November 2015
Date Joined | March 2008 |
Tweets | 16,700 |
Twitter Followers | 3,840,00 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2015 figure) | 7,300,00 |
Governed Population | 36,765,000 |
GDP/Capita | $43,249 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 99 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 4.72 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | 29.8 |
- Canada
- nous: we
- today
- merci: Thank you
- thanks
- sur: sure or Submission Under Review, relating to health products
- nos, notre: our
- Canadians, Canadiens
- aujourd’hui: today
- day
- tous: all
- working
- plus: more
- help
- together
- congratulations
- meeting
- work
- AMP: clean energy company, Administrative Monetary Penalty System (AMPS) or Accredited Mortgage Professional
- great
President Nicolás Maduro
assumed office April 2013
Date Joined | March 2013 |
Tweets | 89,000- vast majority retweets |
Twitter Followers | 3,280,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country | no data- high percentage assumed |
Governed Population | 32,149,840 |
GDP/Capita* | $12,793 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 30 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 43.97- vast majority retweets |
Exclamation Marks Per Week (in English posts) | 89, often on retweets |
Resources:
Venezuela’s Maduro slams Twitter after accounts blocked– Reuters, June 2017
Twitter blocks a slew of Venezuela government accounts– Engadget, June 2017
How Twitter became the main source for real news in Venezuela– Splinter, June 2016
Why Venezuela’s Revolution Will Be Tweeted– The Atlantic, February 2014
In Venezuela, the Only Free Media Is Twitter– Mashable, February 2014
- pueblo: town
- patria: homeland
- Venezuela
- hoy: today
- paz: peace
- comandante: commander
- presidente: president
- Chávez
- venezolano: Venezuelan
- Victoria
- nuevo: new
- 2017
- día: day
- junto: together
- lucha: fight
- pendientes: slopes
- siempre: always
- amor: love
- bolivariana: Bolivarian
- Bolívar
- desarollo: development
*Source: Trading Economics
President Emmanuel Macron
assumed office May 2017
Date Joined | October 2013 |
Tweets | 5,277 |
Twitter Followers | 2,400,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2016 figure)* | 5,600,00 |
Governed Population | 65,088,350 |
GDP/Capita | $36,206 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 90 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 3.49 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | 5.36 |
- France
- veux: want
- Europe
- pays: country
- fair: make
- politique: policy
- français: French
- faut, devons: must
- projet: project
- fait: fact
- ensemble: together
- #2017ledébat
- vie: life
- république: republic
- ans: years
- avenir: to come up
- monde: world
- #macronprésident
- #legranddébat
- président: president
*Figure via ExtraDigital
President Vladimir Putin
assumed office May 2012
Date Joined | December 2011 |
Tweets | 2,586 |
Twitter Followers | 2,390,000 |
Number of Twitter Users in Governed Country (2016 figure) | 8,950,000 |
Governed Population | 143,979,010 |
GDP/Capita* | $9,093 |
Freedom Score (out of 100) | 20 |
Average Number of Tweets Per Day | 1.19 |
Exclamation Marks Per Week | N/A |
President Putin uses Twitter to distribute his worldview and support his public narrative like all the others leaders profiled on this site. However, his relationship with the platform is unique for two reasons.
First, he has a separate English language version of his account with different content than his main Russian account, as can be seen on the ‘Compare Twitter Feeds’ page of this site. This English account has about a third of the followers of the Russian one, but both are official. The motivation behind having such an account is presumably a desire to specifically target Western audiences, and give them a chance to learn firsthand about Russia and its strategic and apparently gregarious, public-spirited leader.
Second, under his leadership, Twitter evolved from a tool for persuasion and influencing to a manipulated, manipulate-able force capable of shaping the elections of the most powerful country in the world. The weaponization of Twitter changed the world, whether through its long term application or its initial results; President Trump’s election has already had dire consequences for millions of people.
- встреча, заседание, совещание: (a, the) meeting
- путин, путина: Putin
- владимир, владимира: Vladimir
- президентом, президента: (the) President
- россии: Russia
- совета: council
- рабочая: working
- указ: decree
- изменения: change
- министром: the Minister
- федерации: federation
- российской: Russian
- закон: law
- разговор: conversation
- телефонный: telephone
- премьер: prime minister
- соболезнования: condolences
- подписан: signed
- республики: republics
- назначен: appointed