Given his position in office and the contentious, outspoken nature of his posts, you’d expect President Donald Trump to fill this year’s list of most retweeted tweets.
Well, Twitter released the official list of most retweets of 2017 today and Trump isn’t going to like what he sees. Not a single one of his tweets made it on the list. Instead, former POTUS Barack Obama leads the way with three of the top nine posts.
But neither president could beat out a craving for chicken nuggets. The most retweeted tweet of 2017 comes from Carter Wilkinson, who just wanted a ridiculous amount of breaded chicken. In April, Wilkinson asked the fast-food chain how many retweets he would need to get a year’s worth of free nuggets. Wendy’s responded with an impossible “18 million.”
HELP ME PLEASE. A MAN NEEDS HIS NUGGS pic.twitter.com/4SrfHmEMo3
— Carter Wilkerson (@carterjwm) April 6, 2017
Undeterred, Wilkinson broke the record for most retweeted tweet of all time after appearing on Ellen, who previously held the title. Wilkinson fell well short of the 18 million mark but Wendy’s hooked him up with a year of nuggs anyway.
President Obama’s most retweeted post this year, and number two on the list, includes a quote from Nelon Mandela’s autobiography Long Walk to Freedom, “No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion…”
"No one is born hating another person because of the color of his skin or his background or his religion…" pic.twitter.com/InZ58zkoAm
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) August 13, 2017
The tweet was in response to a violent rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, earlier this year, where a counterprotester was murdered by a man with ties to white nationalist groups. Within a week, Obama’s post became the most-liked tweet in history. Trump was strongly criticized for his weak response to the Charlottesville protest. His “so sad” tweet gained a mere 23,000 retweets.
More than half of the most retweeted posts this year were in response to a tragic event. The third-most retweeted tweet came after Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston, killing more than 70 people this summer.
With the current devastation in Houston, we are pledging $0.15 for every RT this gets! Please forward this along to help out those in need! pic.twitter.com/lodyOBE0eG
— Penn State IFC (@PennStateIFC) August 30, 2017
That post is followed by Ariana Grande’s heartbreaking tweet after the suicide bombing that killed 22 shortly after her concert in Manchester, England.
https://twitter.com/ArianaGrande/status/866849021519966208
The second-most retweeted tweet from Obama this year was his goodbye from office, a plea for Americans to think about how they can create change.
Thank you for everything. My last ask is the same as my first. I'm asking you to believe—not in my ability to create change, but in yours.
— President Obama (@POTUS44) January 11, 2017
A photo in memory of Linkin Park lead singer Chester Bennington posted hours after it was revealed he committed suicide is the sixth-most retweeted tweet.
— LINKIN PARK (@linkinpark) July 20, 2017
Donald Trump did, in a way, make it to the list, but probably not how he’d hoped. Star basketball player LeBron James took a shot at Trump, calling him a “bum” after the president rescinded his invitation to host the NBA Champion Golden State Warriors at the White House.
U bum @StephenCurry30 already said he ain't going! So therefore ain't no invite. Going to White House was a great honor until you showed up!
— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 23, 2017
Obama’s third top tweet is a thank you to the American people as his time in office drew to a close.
It's been the honor of my life to serve you. You made me a better leader and a better man.
— President Obama (@POTUS44) January 20, 2017
Detroit Lions punter Sam Martin’s charitable post following Hurricane Harvey rounds out the list. Martin said he would give six pounds of dog food for every retweet his post received. Going by today’s numbers, that’s 3,740,520 pounds of doggo meals.
https://twitter.com/SamMartin_6/status/903338173899706369
For those of you wondering what the tenth most retweeted post was (Twitter, for whatever reason, stopped at nine), it’s Twitter user Seth Joseph’s August post that includes a suicide prevention hotline number.
https://twitter.com/sethjoesph/status/902002107770920960