Trump appears to hit record with 115 Thursday tweets

Friday, December 13, 2019, Vol. 43, No. 50

WASHINGTON (AP) — The always-prolific Tweeter-in-chief appears to have hit a new record.

The president's @realDonaldTrump account had tweeted and retweeted 115 times by late Thursday night, marking what could be his most active day on the platform yet.

The avalanche came as the House Judiciary Committee pressed toward a historic vote to approve articles of impeachment against him.

Trump has noticeably ramped up his tweeting during the impeachment inquiry. He tweeted 77 times Wednesday and 105 times Sunday, repeatedly declaring his innocence and retweeting comments and video of supporters defending his conduct.

But Trump also made time Thursday for a harsh tweet aimed at 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg, one day after she was named Time Magazine's "Person of the Year." Trump told the Swedish teenager to "Chill!" adding that she "must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend!"

Thunberg has been open about her diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome, an autism spectrum disorder associated with high intelligence and impaired social skills.

Trump also took time Thursday for a tweet promoting Mar-a-Lago, the private club he owns in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump's relationship with the club has drawn alarms from ethics experts who note that members and guests can pay for access to the president, who spends frequent winter weekends at the resort.

Thursday's deluge of tweets drew the attention of a leading 2020 Democrat, former Vice President Joe Biden, who tweeted that Trump should "Give it a rest, man."

Trump's reelection campaign slapped back, quipping, "Sleepy Joe knows a lot about rest."

White House spokesman Judd Deere added that Trump's "use of technology to communicate directly with the American people should be praised, not criticized." He said the media should focus on Trump's accomplishments "instead of obsessing over how many times the president has tweeted."