I’m in. We need someone in the middle. #2020
Former FBI director James Comey set social media abuzz when he tweeted a picture of himself standing in the middle of the road with a caption reading simply, “I’m in. We need someone in the middle. #2020.”
Of course, Comey put up the tweet on April 1…which had many people assuming that he was just pulling a prank. Comey doesn’t tweet a lot — he’s only tweeted 163 times since opening his Twitter account back in 2014. But he has a large social media following, with 1.4 million people getting his updates on Twitter. That’s probably why there was so much confusion when his tweet appeared; a lot of people weren’t sure whether the former FBI director was just kidding, or whether he might be seriously thinking about a 2020 run.
Comey waited a while before he clarified that yes, he was joking. The former FBI director does not have any plans to run for president. He made that crystal clear in a tweet about an hour and a half after the first one:
But could you imagine a president who used this website to make dad jokes rather than to hurl insults? Happy #AprilFools.
#VoteDem2020
Happy April Fool’s, Comey wrote, adding, “could you imagine a president who used this website to make dad jokes rather than to hurl insults?” He also urged his followers to vote Democrat in 2020.
Responses to Comey’s Tweet Were Mixed, with Some Expressing Anger & Others Asking How They Could Donate to His Campaign
I’m in. We need someone in the middle. #2020
The general consensus on Twitter was that Comey’s tweet must be an April Fool’s Day joke. One Twitter user wrote, “This better be an April Fools Joke. If it is, it’s not funny. Get lost.” Another user wrote, “April Fools jokes are supposed to be funny, Mr. Comey.” Another Twitter user, apparently not a Comey fan, wrote, Had a heart attack until I realized what day it is…OOF.”
Responses to Comey’s tweet were mixed. Some people vented about how much they disliked Comey. A number of people imagined a truck bearing down on the former FBI director, as he stood in the middle of the road:
Another user wrote “Does this guy understand how much this country hates him” — while one person tweeted, “You can run but you can’t hide. You will pay for your crimes – running won’t protect you. Save your $. #WWG1WGA #darktolight” A number of users said that Comey was “arrogant” for even joking about plans to run for president. One wrote, “Seriously, you’ve got that much hubris? To think that YOU are fit to be President? Uhhhh, no. Definitely not.”
Someone Started an Account Called ‘Comey’s Campaign Manager’
Lots of people had jokes about Comey’s 2020 tweet…and one Twitter user even created a parody account called “Comey’s Campaign Manager.” The account announced what Comey’s offical campaign song would be (“I’m Sorry,” by Brenda Lee). The account also announced what they called the “Comey creed” :
The account wrote, “Also if you like to donate to the campaign, we be patient while we work on the website, we had it working, but like James, we screwed up, once again, we are sorry. #comey2020.”