This was truly an election lived in 140-character bursts, especially since @realDonaldTrump often overshadowed the real Donald Trump with his incendiary missives about Miss Universe and other matters of national import. Twitter was where the nation came to laugh and cry over the election season. Mostly, to cry.
Herewith, then, we present some of our favorite tweets from the election season, having read every single political tweet from the last year and a half. If you're wondering how we did it, we used the same FBI team that went through half-a-million Hillary Clinton emails. Thanks for your help, guys!
Above all, perhaps, Twitter served as the safety valve through which many channeled their anxiety and dismay.
I can't wait until Wednesday to see if the world will be as horrible as it is now or much much worse.
— Karl Sharro (@KarlreMarks) November 7, 2016
The stress eating has begun
— Debra Messing✍🏻 (@DebraMessing) November 7, 2016
Stressed about the election? Just remember, it only reshapes your future and the lives of billions of people for multiple generations.
— Ronan Farrow (@RonanFarrow) November 7, 2016
And while late-night television struggled to satirize an election that seemed too ludicrous for satire, Twitter proved to be the playground of the election's best comic minds.
Emails just aren't safe. We should hide state secrets deep in the story parts of recipe blogs.
— Kashana (@kashanacauley) October 11, 2016
New report shows Trump may have found a way to avoid paying taxes for 18 years, but we all know Trump considers anything legal once it's 18.
— Aparna Nancherla (@aparnapkin) October 2, 2016
Above all, in an election season of breathtaking dishonesty, Twitter was some combination of confessional, open mic and public square, sometimes enervating but frequently uplifting, even if for no other reason than to let you know that you weren't suffering alone.
As a journalist, I can't campaign for political candidates. So I'm knocking on doors in PA and then just emitting an unrelenting scream
— Zach Schonfeld (@zzzzaaaacccchhh) November 6, 2016
Re Trump. A real man doesn't talk about the size of his penis unless he's a comedian.
— Garry Shandling (@GarryShandling) March 5, 2016
And just in case you haven't voted: It's not too late! And once you do...
I think it's worth mentioning you also get a little sticker #vote
— Jason Ritter 🦋 (@JasonRitter) November 8, 2016
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Alexander Nazaryan is a senior writer at Newsweek covering national affairs.
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