Here’s a telling sign that the storm over FBI Director James Comey’s testimony before the Senate Intelligence Committee took its toll on President Donald Trump: He went MIA on Twitter for nearly 46 hours, the longest social-media silence since his inauguration on January 20.
Thursday also marked only the second day since Trump entered the White House that he did not issue a single tweet.
The last day that happened? April 15 — the Saturday before Easter when Trump spent the weekend in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, and Trump opponents in cities across the country used Tax Day as an excuse to protest and demand the release of the president’s tax returns.
Trump broke his Twitter silence early Friday morning with a slam on “leaker” Comey for “so many false statements and lies.”
Despite so many false statements and lies, total and complete vindication…and WOW, Comey is a leaker!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 9, 2017
But that came after a record 45 hours, 53 minutes after his previous tweet, a preview of his trip to Cincinnati to discuss “Healthcare & also Infrastructure” that went out on Wednesday at 8:17 a.m. ET — more than a day before Comey made his appearance on Capitol Hill.
Getting ready to leave for Cincinnati, in the GREAT STATE of OHIO, to meet with ObamaCare victims and talk Healthcare & also Infrastructure!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 7, 2017
The longest previous social-media dry spell lasted 39 hours, 37 minutes — from 4:41 p.m. on April 14 to 8:18 a.m. on Easter Sunday, April 16 — not counting a retweet of wife Melania Trump touting the White House Easter Egg Roll sent around 4:46 p.m., according to the Trump Twitter archive.
He also had a nearly 25-hour lull beginning on the afternoon of May 16, nearly two hours before the New York Times posted a bombshell report the president had asked then-FBI Director James Comey to end its investigation of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn, according to a memo Comey had written about their February conversation.
But Trump showed uncharacteristic restraint in terms of social media use on Thursday even as Comey delivered harsh testimony about his encounters with the president before his firing last month.
The president’s son, Donald Trump Jr., did tweet several times during the hearing (“Is this a joke?” was one representative tweet).
Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, Marc Kasowitz, also delivered a televised rebuttal of Comey’s testimony, saying, “the president never pressured Mr. Comey” and he “feels completely vindicated.”