Trump tweets more than 100 times in one day as coronavirus death toll nears 80,000

Donald Trump sent more than 100 tweets and retweets on Sunday, most of which promoted unsubstantiated claims about the investigation into collusion between his campaign and Russia.

The president appeared to spend much of his day on Twitter, even as the death toll from the coronavirus neared 80,000 and White House officials issued dire warnings about the state of the US economy. At the time of writing, the toll stood at 79,384.

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Despite a handful of tweets about the pandemic, the vast majority were related to his former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who was fired by Mr Trump after pleading guilty to lying to the FBI.

The president flooded his Twitter feed throughout the day with articles and commentary about Flynn’s case, much of which promoted the claim that the Obama administration was trying to frame then president-elect Trump.

“The biggest political crime in American history, by far,” the president wrote in a tweet that shared a claim Barack Obama used “his last weeks in office to target incoming officials and sabotage the new administration”.

Shape Created with Sketch. World news in pictures Show all 50 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. World news in pictures 1/50 10 May 2020 A man wearing a mask walks his dog in Madrid during the hours allowed by the government to exercise. Spain's two biggest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, will not enter the next phase out of coronavirus lockdown along with many other regions next week AFP via Getty 2/50 9 May 2020 Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation after laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia. Russia marks the 75th anniversary since the capitulation of Nazi Germany in WWII amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic EPA 3/50 8 May 2020 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President of the German Parliament Bundestag Wolfgang Schaeuble, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Council Bundesrat in Germany Dietmar Woidke and the presiding judge of the German Federal Constitutional Court's second senate, Andreas Vosskuhle attend wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, at the Neue Wache Memorial in Berlin. Countries in Europe are commemorating the Victory in Europe Day, known as VE Day that celebrates Nazi Germany's surrender during World World II on 8 May 1945 EPA 4/50 7 May 2020 A policeman uses his baton to push a resident breaking rules, during an extended nationwide lockdown to slow down the spread of coronavirus in Ahmedabad, India Reuters 5/50 6 May 2020 A nurse tends to a crying newborn baby wearing a face shield at the National Maternity Hospital in Hanoi AFP via Getty 6/50 5 May 2020 Bride Janine runs over to her wedding at a Drive-in cinema in Duesseldorf, Germany. The Drive-in theatre started to register official marriages on a stage, allowing all relatives and friends to attend in their cars, as weddings at the registry office are limited due to the coronavirus pandemic AP 7/50 4 May 2020 Storekeepers asking for the reopening of shops and commercial activities gather for a flashmob protest on Piazza San Marco in Venice, as Italy starts to ease its lockdown AFP via Getty 8/50 3 May 2020 A street vendor wearing a protective face mask waits for customers in Chinatown, after the government started opening some restaurants outside shopping malls, parks, and barbershops in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters 9/50 2 May 2020 Two women carry longboards on an esplanade in Barcelona, during the hours allowed by the government to exercise, for the first time since the beginning of a national lockdown. All Spaniards are again allowed to leave their homes since today to walk or play sports after 48 days of very strict confinement to curb the coronavirus pandemic AFP via Getty 10/50 1 May 2020 A girl, wearing a protective mask, plays with bubbles at a shopping mall in Gimpo, South Korea Reuters 11/50 30 April 2020 Buddhist monks wearing face masks pray during Buddha's birthday at the Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul, South Korea AP 12/50 29 April 2020 A visitor in a plexiglass lock talks to a resident at Les Jardins d'Astrid, a rest home in Maurage, La Louviere, on April 29, 2020, as the visits to residents of rest homes are possible from today in Wallonia. - Belgium is in its seventh week of confinement in the ongoing corona virus crisis. The government has announced a phased plan to attempt an exit from the lockdown situation in the country, continuing to avoid the spread of Covid-19 Belga/AFP/Getty 13/50 28 April 2020 A demonstrator is seen near a bank on fire during unrest, as an economic crisis brings demonstrations back onto the streets in Tripoli, Lebanon April 28, 2020 Reuters 14/50 27 April 2020 A medical specialist walks out of a mobile laboratory, which is carrying out coronavirus tests Reuters 15/50 26 April 2020 People wearing protective face masks practice social distancing as they pray outside a church in Kiev near the memorial dedicated to firefighters and workers who died after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, on the 34th anniversary of the event Reuters 16/50 25 April 2020 Surfers walk during a sunrise at Recreio dos Bandeirantes beach, amid the coronavirus outbreak, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Reuters 17/50 24 April 2020 Inmates from Villa Devoto prison take part in a riot demanding measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus after a case was confirmed inside the prison, in Buenos Aires AFP via Getty 18/50 23 April 2020 The cruise ship Ruby Princess departs from Port Kembla, south of Sydney, , after a few hundred virus-free crew members disembarked to begin the process of repatriation to their home countries AFP/Getty 19/50 22 April 2020 An activist performs on the roof during Earth Day in Wroclaw, Poland Agencja Gazeta via Reuters 20/50 21 April 2020 Malaysian army personnel set up barbed wire in the locked down area of Selayang wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur EPA 21/50 20 April 2020 A trader walks inside a pen as he arrives to purchase vegetables and fruits at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee market in Navi Mumbai during the nationwide lockdown AFP via Getty 22/50 19 April 2020 A bride, poses for a wedding photographer next to East Lake in Wuhan AFP via Getty 23/50 18 April 2020 People shout at police officers during a demonstration of conspiracy theorists as other demonstrators protest against the lockdown imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Berlin Reuters 24/50 17 April 2020 A pair of rare morepork owl chicks have become the first in more than a decade to survive on Norfolk Island, in the South Pacific Parks Australia/Monash University 25/50 16 April 2020 A squirrel runs across a fence as the sun shines in Berlin's Kreuzberg district AFP via Getty 26/50 15 April 2020 Election officials count after general election voting in Seoul, South Korea EPA 27/50 14 April 2020 Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was damaged in a devastating fire one year ago today Reuters 28/50 13 April 2020 Wild bluebells, which bloom around mid-April turning the forest blue as they form a carpet, pictured in the Hallerbos in Belgium Reuters 29/50 12 April 2020 Pope Francis delivers his Urbi et Orbi message following Easter Sunday Mass behind closed doors at St Peter's Basilica in The Vatican, during the country's lockdown Vatican media/AFP via Getty 30/50 11 April 2020 A man watches Krakatau spewing ash during an eruption, in Serang, Indonesia's Banten province AFP via Getty 31/50 10 April 2020 Women queue for distribution of food for those suffering under Kenya's coronavirus-related movement restrictions AP 32/50 9 April 2020 Firefighter Sittiporn Singthong, dressed up as Spider-Man, sprays disinfectant at the Wat Tha Mai Buddhist temple in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand EPA 33/50 8 April 2020 Tulip fields in Plomeur, western France AFP via Getty 34/50 7 April 2020 A employee and a resident of the house for the elderly "De Ravenstein" react as nurses dance and sing in the garden, following the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium Reuters 35/50 6 April 2020 A man stands in the balcony of his home with the moon in the background in Cali, Colombia AFP via Getty 36/50 5 April 2020 A man holds a traditional lamp from the balcony of his house as torches and candles illuminate houses and high rise residential buildings as Indians mark the country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic a suburb of New Delhi, India AP 37/50 4 April 2020 Medical staff load an infected patient into an ambulance at the Nimes air base, south of France, during an evacuation operation from the hard-hit east of the country where hospitals are overwhelmed AFP 38/50 3 April 2020 A man prays inside the closed Moussawi Grand Mosque in Basra AFP via Getty 39/50 2 April 2020 A City Hall health official wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant at the entrance of City One condominium as the residential building was placed under lockdown after 17 cases of COVID-19 were detected, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia EPA 40/50 1 April 2020 Migrant workers wait on marked areas on the ground to maintain social distancing as they queue to receive food packets at an industrial area during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus, in Chennai AFP via Getty 41/50 31 March 2020 Wedding dress and evening wear designer Friederike Jorzig adjusts a mannequin wearing a wedding dress with matching protective mask in her store Chiton in Berlin AFP via Getty 42/50 30 March 2020 A stray dog walks in front of an empty historic India Gate, as nationwide lockdown continues over the coronavirus in New Delhi, India Getty 43/50 29 March 2020 A man watches a TV screen showing a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul AP 44/50 28 March 2020 Hong Kong's skyline is seen with some of its lights turned off to mark the Earth Hour, an environmental campaign AFP/Getty 45/50 27 March 2020 Ukrainian citizens queue at the Polish-Ukrainian border during the coronavirus pandemic in Korczowa, Poland. On 13 March, Poland closed its borders due to the ongoing pandemic of the Covid-19 and has extended the measure until at least 11 April EPA 46/50 26 March 2020 Tenon hospital emergency services staff members gesture during a break, on March 26, 2020 in Paris, as the country is under lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus. AFP via Getty 47/50 25 March 2020 Aerial view showing almost empty streets in Bogota, taken during the lockdown ordered by the government to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty 48/50 24 March 2020 Staff members line up to attention as they prepare to spray disinfectant at Wuhan Railway Station. China announced that a lockdown would be lifted on more than 50 million people in central Hubei province where the Covid-19 coronavirus first emerged late last year AFP via Getty 49/50 23 March 2020 A public order agency officer sprays disinfectant over a woman before she enters a local government office as a precautionary move against the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Surabaya AFP via Getty 50/50 22 March 2020 Boys wearing protective and N95 masks play with a football outside their homes in Gaza City AFP via Getty 1/50 10 May 2020 A man wearing a mask walks his dog in Madrid during the hours allowed by the government to exercise. Spain's two biggest cities, Madrid and Barcelona, will not enter the next phase out of coronavirus lockdown along with many other regions next week AFP via Getty 2/50 9 May 2020 Russian President Vladimir Putin addresses the nation after laying flowers at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier near the Kremlin wall in Moscow, Russia. Russia marks the 75th anniversary since the capitulation of Nazi Germany in WWII amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic EPA 3/50 8 May 2020 German Chancellor Angela Merkel, President of the German Parliament Bundestag Wolfgang Schaeuble, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, President of the Federal Council Bundesrat in Germany Dietmar Woidke and the presiding judge of the German Federal Constitutional Court's second senate, Andreas Vosskuhle attend wreath-laying ceremony to mark the 75th anniversary of the end of World War Two, at the Neue Wache Memorial in Berlin. Countries in Europe are commemorating the Victory in Europe Day, known as VE Day that celebrates Nazi Germany's surrender during World World II on 8 May 1945 EPA 4/50 7 May 2020 A policeman uses his baton to push a resident breaking rules, during an extended nationwide lockdown to slow down the spread of coronavirus in Ahmedabad, India Reuters 5/50 6 May 2020 A nurse tends to a crying newborn baby wearing a face shield at the National Maternity Hospital in Hanoi AFP via Getty 6/50 5 May 2020 Bride Janine runs over to her wedding at a Drive-in cinema in Duesseldorf, Germany. The Drive-in theatre started to register official marriages on a stage, allowing all relatives and friends to attend in their cars, as weddings at the registry office are limited due to the coronavirus pandemic AP 7/50 4 May 2020 Storekeepers asking for the reopening of shops and commercial activities gather for a flashmob protest on Piazza San Marco in Venice, as Italy starts to ease its lockdown AFP via Getty 8/50 3 May 2020 A street vendor wearing a protective face mask waits for customers in Chinatown, after the government started opening some restaurants outside shopping malls, parks, and barbershops in Bangkok, Thailand Reuters 9/50 2 May 2020 Two women carry longboards on an esplanade in Barcelona, during the hours allowed by the government to exercise, for the first time since the beginning of a national lockdown. All Spaniards are again allowed to leave their homes since today to walk or play sports after 48 days of very strict confinement to curb the coronavirus pandemic AFP via Getty 10/50 1 May 2020 A girl, wearing a protective mask, plays with bubbles at a shopping mall in Gimpo, South Korea Reuters 11/50 30 April 2020 Buddhist monks wearing face masks pray during Buddha's birthday at the Gwanghwamun Plaza in Seoul, South Korea AP 12/50 29 April 2020 A visitor in a plexiglass lock talks to a resident at Les Jardins d'Astrid, a rest home in Maurage, La Louviere, on April 29, 2020, as the visits to residents of rest homes are possible from today in Wallonia. - Belgium is in its seventh week of confinement in the ongoing corona virus crisis. The government has announced a phased plan to attempt an exit from the lockdown situation in the country, continuing to avoid the spread of Covid-19 Belga/AFP/Getty 13/50 28 April 2020 A demonstrator is seen near a bank on fire during unrest, as an economic crisis brings demonstrations back onto the streets in Tripoli, Lebanon April 28, 2020 Reuters 14/50 27 April 2020 A medical specialist walks out of a mobile laboratory, which is carrying out coronavirus tests Reuters 15/50 26 April 2020 People wearing protective face masks practice social distancing as they pray outside a church in Kiev near the memorial dedicated to firefighters and workers who died after the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, on the 34th anniversary of the event Reuters 16/50 25 April 2020 Surfers walk during a sunrise at Recreio dos Bandeirantes beach, amid the coronavirus outbreak, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Reuters 17/50 24 April 2020 Inmates from Villa Devoto prison take part in a riot demanding measures to prevent the spread of coronavirus after a case was confirmed inside the prison, in Buenos Aires AFP via Getty 18/50 23 April 2020 The cruise ship Ruby Princess departs from Port Kembla, south of Sydney, , after a few hundred virus-free crew members disembarked to begin the process of repatriation to their home countries AFP/Getty 19/50 22 April 2020 An activist performs on the roof during Earth Day in Wroclaw, Poland Agencja Gazeta via Reuters 20/50 21 April 2020 Malaysian army personnel set up barbed wire in the locked down area of Selayang wholesale market in Kuala Lumpur EPA 21/50 20 April 2020 A trader walks inside a pen as he arrives to purchase vegetables and fruits at the Agricultural Produce Market Committee market in Navi Mumbai during the nationwide lockdown AFP via Getty 22/50 19 April 2020 A bride, poses for a wedding photographer next to East Lake in Wuhan AFP via Getty 23/50 18 April 2020 People shout at police officers during a demonstration of conspiracy theorists as other demonstrators protest against the lockdown imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus in Berlin Reuters 24/50 17 April 2020 A pair of rare morepork owl chicks have become the first in more than a decade to survive on Norfolk Island, in the South Pacific Parks Australia/Monash University 25/50 16 April 2020 A squirrel runs across a fence as the sun shines in Berlin's Kreuzberg district AFP via Getty 26/50 15 April 2020 Election officials count after general election voting in Seoul, South Korea EPA 27/50 14 April 2020 Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris, which was damaged in a devastating fire one year ago today Reuters 28/50 13 April 2020 Wild bluebells, which bloom around mid-April turning the forest blue as they form a carpet, pictured in the Hallerbos in Belgium Reuters 29/50 12 April 2020 Pope Francis delivers his Urbi et Orbi message following Easter Sunday Mass behind closed doors at St Peter's Basilica in The Vatican, during the country's lockdown Vatican media/AFP via Getty 30/50 11 April 2020 A man watches Krakatau spewing ash during an eruption, in Serang, Indonesia's Banten province AFP via Getty 31/50 10 April 2020 Women queue for distribution of food for those suffering under Kenya's coronavirus-related movement restrictions AP 32/50 9 April 2020 Firefighter Sittiporn Singthong, dressed up as Spider-Man, sprays disinfectant at the Wat Tha Mai Buddhist temple in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand EPA 33/50 8 April 2020 Tulip fields in Plomeur, western France AFP via Getty 34/50 7 April 2020 A employee and a resident of the house for the elderly "De Ravenstein" react as nurses dance and sing in the garden, following the coronavirus disease outbreak, in Boortmeerbeek, Belgium Reuters 35/50 6 April 2020 A man stands in the balcony of his home with the moon in the background in Cali, Colombia AFP via Getty 36/50 5 April 2020 A man holds a traditional lamp from the balcony of his house as torches and candles illuminate houses and high rise residential buildings as Indians mark the country's fight against the coronavirus pandemic a suburb of New Delhi, India AP 37/50 4 April 2020 Medical staff load an infected patient into an ambulance at the Nimes air base, south of France, during an evacuation operation from the hard-hit east of the country where hospitals are overwhelmed AFP 38/50 3 April 2020 A man prays inside the closed Moussawi Grand Mosque in Basra AFP via Getty 39/50 2 April 2020 A City Hall health official wearing a protective suit sprays disinfectant at the entrance of City One condominium as the residential building was placed under lockdown after 17 cases of COVID-19 were detected, in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia EPA 40/50 1 April 2020 Migrant workers wait on marked areas on the ground to maintain social distancing as they queue to receive food packets at an industrial area during a government-imposed nationwide lockdown as a preventive measure against the Covid-19 coronavirus, in Chennai AFP via Getty 41/50 31 March 2020 Wedding dress and evening wear designer Friederike Jorzig adjusts a mannequin wearing a wedding dress with matching protective mask in her store Chiton in Berlin AFP via Getty 42/50 30 March 2020 A stray dog walks in front of an empty historic India Gate, as nationwide lockdown continues over the coronavirus in New Delhi, India Getty 43/50 29 March 2020 A man watches a TV screen showing a file image of North Korea's missile launch during a news program at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul AP 44/50 28 March 2020 Hong Kong's skyline is seen with some of its lights turned off to mark the Earth Hour, an environmental campaign AFP/Getty 45/50 27 March 2020 Ukrainian citizens queue at the Polish-Ukrainian border during the coronavirus pandemic in Korczowa, Poland. On 13 March, Poland closed its borders due to the ongoing pandemic of the Covid-19 and has extended the measure until at least 11 April EPA 46/50 26 March 2020 Tenon hospital emergency services staff members gesture during a break, on March 26, 2020 in Paris, as the country is under lockdown to stop the spread of Covid-19 disease caused by the novel coronavirus. AFP via Getty 47/50 25 March 2020 Aerial view showing almost empty streets in Bogota, taken during the lockdown ordered by the government to fight the spread of the novel coronavirus AFP via Getty 48/50 24 March 2020 Staff members line up to attention as they prepare to spray disinfectant at Wuhan Railway Station. China announced that a lockdown would be lifted on more than 50 million people in central Hubei province where the Covid-19 coronavirus first emerged late last year AFP via Getty 49/50 23 March 2020 A public order agency officer sprays disinfectant over a woman before she enters a local government office as a precautionary move against the spread of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Surabaya AFP via Getty 50/50 22 March 2020 Boys wearing protective and N95 masks play with a football outside their homes in Gaza City AFP via Getty

The justice department announced on Thursday that it was dropping charges against Flynn, in a move that has prompted concerns about judicial independence. Mr Trump has spent much of his time since then pushing various claims of a conspiracy about the Obama administration. One tweet simply read: “OBAMAGATE!”

Hillary Clinton, Congressman Adam Schiff, and former FBI Director James Comey also were stars in the president’s tweet storm, all of which attempted to connect the three to promoting anti-Trump hoaxes.

The US justice department unexpectedly dropped its criminal case against Mr Flynn, whom prosecutors accused of lying to the FBI during an investigation into ties between Russia and the 2016 Trump campaign.

In court documents filed on Thursday, the justice department said it was dropping the case “after a considered review of all the facts and circumstances of this case, including newly discovered and disclosed information”.

The decision represented a dramatic turnaround in the long-running case, which was one of the central prosecutions to be brought by special counsel Robert Mueller as part of his investigation into Russia meddling in the 2016 election.

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Mr Trump on Friday accused Obama administration justice department officials of “treason” for their handling of Mr Flynn’s case.

“The Obama administration Justice Department was a disgrace,” the president said in the Oval Office. “It’s treason. It’s treason.”

The 100 tweets Mr Trump sent on Sunday did not quite reach his record since taking office of 142 — which was set during impeachment proceedings in January.

Earlier on Sunday, Mr Trump tweeted that he was “getting great marks” for his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, despite the US having the highest death toll in the world.

The president made the claim in a self-congratulatory tweet on Sunday morning that also criticised his predecessor Barack Obama for his administration’s response to Swine Flu.

“We are getting great marks for the handling of the CoronaVirus pandemic, especially the very early BAN of people from China, the infectious source, entering the USA,” Mr Trump wrote.

“Compare that to the Obama/Sleepy Joe disaster known as H1N1 Swine Flu. Poor marks, bad polls – didn’t have a clue!”