Swalwell tweets about Trump more than any other 2020 candidate: analysis

Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-Calif.) is topping his Democratic presidential primary rivals in at least one category: tweeting about President Trump.

A new analysis published Thursday found that the San Francisco Bay Area congressman has tweeted about the president by name more than any other 2020 candidate has so far this year, mentioning Trump in nearly one-quarter of his tweets.

Swalwell has led the crowded Democratic primary field in both percentage and number of Trump mentions on Twitter in 2019, according to the Bay Area News Group analysis. 

{mosads}The word “Trump” or the @realDonaldTrump Twitter handle was used in 23 percent of Swalwell’s tweets. He was trailed by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who mentioned the president in 16 percent of his tweets. Trump was mentioned least by South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), who named him in less than 1 percent of his tweets. 

Swalwell mentioned Trump 286 times and used his Twitter handle 114 times.  

Swalwell told The Mercury News that the “the prosecutor in me” makes him shame the president. 

The analysis used tweets from the presidential hopefuls’ campaign accounts in the first five months of this year. It did not include retweets or tweets where the candidates referred to “the president” or “this president” without using his name or Twitter handle. 

Trump is known for using his Twitter account to jab his political opponents with nicknames and personal attacks. But he has largely avoided tweets about most of the 2020 candidates, the exception being former Vice President Joe Biden, the group’s front-runner.