Who is tops on Twitter? Barack Obama leads the list with more than 119 million followers – USA TODAY
Douglas A. McIntyre, 24/7 Wall Street Published 10:00 a.m. ET June 17, 2020
Former President Barack Obama talked with local and national leaders in the police reform movement to discuss the tragic events of recent weeks. USA TODAY Handout
Former President Barack Obama doesn't tweet much, probably as little as once a day. However, he has more followers on Twitter than anyone else in the world. His total followers numbered 117.7 million, according to Brandwatch.
@BarackObama, who according to updated figures on Twitter has more than 119 million followers,describes himself as "Dad, husband, President, citizen" in that order. Most of his tweets recently have been about social justice. He has focused heavily on his optimism for the future, mostly based on the actions of young people.
In a recent tweet, Obama noted that "over the past few weeks, we've seen young people in every corner of the country step up and become leaders. Through organization and mobilization, they're showing us how we can sustain this momentum to bring about real change."
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Like many of the most widely followed people or organizations on Twitter, the former president can reach tens of millions of people. No other conduit to the public has anywhere close to those figures.
The people who have the most followers after @BarackObama are an odd mix, mostly singers and entertainers (all with updated numbers).
Justin Bieber posted a message against racism along with a video of the Floyd incident onInstagram on May 26."THIS MUST STOP,"he wrote."this makes me absolutely sick. This makes me angry this man DIED. This makes me sad. Racism is evil We need to use our voice! Please people. Im sorry GEORGE FLOYD"(Photo: Cindy Ord, Getty Images for MTV)
Second on the list, @justinbieber posts about social justice as well. However, many of his tweets are about the success of his songs, specifically on Spotify. Bieber had 112 million followers.
Singer Katy Perry ranks third with 108.4million followers. She was, according to some sources, the first person to have 100 million followers.
Fourth on the list, Rihanna, had 97.1 million followers. She promotes clothing and cosmetics, as much as anything else. (However, recently, the singer has voiced more concerns about racial injustice.)
In fifth place, singer Taylor Swift had 86.5million followers. Recently she has tweeted about the need to take down the statues of Confederate generals.
Cristiano Ronaldo is sixth on the list and the top sports figure. He had 85.6 million followers. He tweets almost exclusively about his athletic prowess and family life. Many consider Ronaldo to be the best soccer player in the world. By many measures, it is the most popular sport worldwide.
President Donald Trump has gained followers recently, building up to 82.2 million, which would move him up to seventh place.
Singer and movie star Lady Gagais next on the list with 81.6 million followers, followed by Ellen DeGeneres, who has 80 million.
The highest-ranked media company is CNN Breaking News, with 58 million followers. That is good enough for 16th place.
Back at first place, Obama has been out of office since 2017. His public presence and popularity do not appear to have declined much, at least as measured by Twitter.
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Who is tops on Twitter? Barack Obama leads the list with more than 119 million followers - USA TODAY
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