Carlin Becker
President Trump’s tweet in Farsi expressing his 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.
به مردم شجاع و رنج کشیده ایران: من از ابتدای دوره ریاست جمهوریم با شما ایستادهام و دولت من همچنان با شما خواهد ایستاد. ما اعتراضات شما را از نزدیک دنبال می کنیم. شجاعت شما الهام بخش است.
— 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., the assistant to the president and director of the White House’s social media, tweeting in Farsi, “Excellent.”
عالی https://t.co/gBv9fcl56F
— Dan Scavino Jr.🇺🇸 (@Scavino45) January 11, 2020
Iran responded to the U.S.’ recent killing of its top Gen. Qassem Soleimani by firing off over a dozen ballistic missiles at two military bases housing American troops in Iraq this week. While the missiles were being launched, a Boeing 737 carrying over 176 people from Tehran to Kyiv, Ukraine, crashed, killing everyone on board.
On Friday, Iran admitted to “unintentionally” shooting down the plane after originally claiming there was a mechanical problem and blamed “human error,” sparking the protests.
Content retrieved from: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/trump-tweet-in-farsi-the-most-liked-persian-tweet-in-history-of-twitter?fbclid=IwAR3adn2RAGDmpuF8nph9pNAxb-36PCkRTfRuJCNUQsgKbL1BFLcTR-V1LYQ.