Most Retweeted Tweet Ever: Records From 2012 to 2026

What is the most retweeted tweet ever? When we wrote this post on election night in November 2012, the record had just been set by President Barack Obama’s “Four more years” tweet, with a photo hugging Michelle Obama. It passed 680,000 retweets within hours, and Twitter traffic peaked at 327,452 tweets per minute. That record has been broken several times since. Here is how the most retweeted tweet ever changed over the years, and who holds the record now that Twitter is X.

Quick answer: The most retweeted tweet ever is widely reported to be Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa’s January 2019 giveaway tweet, which offered cash to random people who retweeted it and passed 4 million retweets within days. Earlier record holders include Carter Wilkerson’s #NuggsForCarter tweet (2017), Ellen DeGeneres’s Oscar selfie (2014) and Barack Obama’s “Four more years” (2012).

Most retweeted tweets: the record over the years

Retweet counts can drop over time when accounts are deleted or suspended, so different sources report slightly different numbers.

The 2012 “Four more years” record

Obama posted “Four more years.” (external site) with a photo of himself hugging Michelle Obama after winning his second term. At that time he had over 22 million Twitter followers. The tweet was retweeted over 680,000 times and favourited by over 230,000 people within hours, the most ever at the time. The same photo on Facebook was liked more than 3 million times. Twitter reported a peak of 327,452 tweets per minute on election night, and the site struggled to keep up.

Why giveaway tweets broke the record

Maezawa’s 2019 tweet promised money to 100 random people who followed him and retweeted, so millions joined in. Wilkerson’s 2017 tweet was a challenge: Wendy’s told him he would get a year of free nuggets if he reached 18 million retweets, and the internet tried to help. Both show that a clear call to action, plus a reward or a fun challenge, spreads faster than news alone.

Retweets on X in 2026

• Twitter was renamed X in 2023, and retweets are now called reposts.
• X shows views on posts, so viral posts are often measured by views as well as reposts.
• The most liked and most viewed posts are different lists from the most reposted ones.

Want your own posts to reach more people? See how to schedule tweets on X for when your followers are online.

FAQ

What is the most retweeted tweet ever?

Yusaku Maezawa’s January 2019 cash giveaway tweet is widely reported as the most retweeted, with over 4 million retweets.

What was the most retweeted tweet in 2012?

Barack Obama’s “Four more years” tweet on election night, November 2012.

Is Ellen’s Oscar selfie still a record?

It was the most retweeted tweet in 2014, but was later overtaken by #NuggsForCarter and Maezawa’s giveaway.

What are retweets called on X now?

Reposts. The feature works the same way.