President Trump’s tweet in Farsi expressing support for Iranians protesting Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has already earned over 200,000 likes, making it the “most liked Persian tweet” in the social media giant’s history, according to a leading think tank adviser.
On Saturday, protesters in the country called upon Khamenei to step down after Iran admitted to shooting down a commercial airliner on which dozens of Iranian citizens were traveling. That evening, the president sent out a tweet in Farsi, saying that he stands with their efforts.
“To the brave and suffering Iranian people: I have stood with you since the beginning of my presidency and my government will continue to stand with you. We are following your protests closely. Your courage is inspiring,” Trump wrote.
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— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 11, 2020
After just one hour, the tweet had received over 100,000 likes and has since more than doubled that number.
“This tweet by @realDonaldTrump with more than 100k likes is already the most liked Persian tweet in the history of Twitter,” Saeed Ghasseminejad, senior adviser and financial economist at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, claimed. “A strong show of support by Iranians for Trump’s Iran policy, something the MSM does not and will not report.”
This tweet by @realDonaldTrump with more than 100k likes is already the most liked Persian tweet in the history of Twitter. A strong show of support by Iranians for Trump’s Iran policy, something the MSM does not and will not report. https://t.co/4tZ0IgDZmx
— Saeed Ghasseminejad (@SGhasseminejad) January 11, 2020
FDD is a policy institute based in Washington, D.C., that focuses on national security and foreign policy. Described as hawkish, the group is highly critical of Tehran’s theocratic regime, and its members advise the Trump administration on its Iran policy. Born and raised in Iran, Ghasseminejad also teaches finance at Baruch College of New York.
The president’s inner circle began celebrating the news shortly after, with Dan Scavino Jr., assistant to the president and director of the White House’s social media operation, tweeting in Farsi, “Excellent.”
— Dan Scavino Jr.?? (@Scavino45) January 11, 2020
Iran responded to the United States’s recent killing of Quds Force commander Qassem Soleimani by firing off over a dozen ballistic missiles at two military bases housing American troops in Iraq. An Iranian missile took down a Boeing 737 carrying well over a hundred people from Tehran to Kyiv, Ukraine, killing everyone on board.
On Friday, Iran admitted to “unintentionally” shooting down the plane, blaming “human error” after originally claiming there was a mechanical problem, sparking the protests.
Trump sends ‘the most liked Persian tweet’ in history of Twitter