Trump tweets became more negative amid Democratic impeachment inquiry: Analysis

US President Donald Trump’s tweets and messages became more negative in the weeks and months leading up to his impeachment last week in the House of Representatives, according to a new analysis.

In 2017, nearly 15 percent of the words in Trump's tweets had a negative connotation, according to USA TODAY's analysis of tweets compiled by the website Factba.se. That increased to 16.5 percent by December 2019. 

Meanwhile, the share of positive words fell from 24.5 percent to 20 percent.

The change has been particularly evident this fall as the impeachment effort was formally launched. The share of words with a negative connotation rose from just under 15 percent in August to more than 19 percent in October. 

"The president is on the defense given the impeachment hearings, and once again he has turned to social media to support his agenda," said Jennifer Grygiel, a Syracuse University communications professor. 

"It is not surprising that his tone has turned more aggressive [as] he seeks to discredit those who are investigating his actions."

The analysis found that the percentage of words in Trump's tweets that express anger has also increased. Meanwhile, the share of words conveying trust, joy and anticipation are down since Trump's election.

In his first year in office, under 7 percent of words had an angry connotation. This year, it rose to about 9 percent, and almost 10 percent in October.

The changes have occurred ahead of an expected Senate trial to determine whether he will be removed from office. That trial is expected to begin in January; Trump is widely expected to be acquitted in the Republican-controlled upper chamber.

In nearly a dozen Twitter messages posted on a Saturday morning at Camp David this fall, the president slammed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, lashed out at a Democratic lawmaker central to the impeachment effort, described Hillary Clinton as "sick," and tried to dismiss the inquiries into his dealings with Ukraine as "corrupt" and "garbage."

White House officials and Trump allies dismissed the analysis, saying the president is only responding to an environment in Washington that has become toxic with impeachment.

No politician is more closely associated with Twitter than Trump. He has posted more than 13,500 messages to his 68 million followers since he took office.

Trump has used those 280-character messages to fire members of his administration, announce global tariffs, and troll foreign leaders. In October, he posted more than 1,000 tweets and retweets, an average of 33 per day and more than any month of his term.

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