Support The Moscow Times!

Trump Overtakes Putin as Russia's Most Discussed Celebrity

Andrei Makhonin / Vedomosti

U.S. President Donald Trump has beaten Russian leader Vladimir Putin to became Russia's most-talked about public figure.

According to data from media analytics company SCAN, Trump was mentioned 202,000 times in the Russian press in January 2017. 

Putin was named the country's second most discussed figure, losing his place at the top of the monthly table for the first time since 2011. His name was mentioned a mere 147,000 times.

Former U.S. President Barack Obama slid into third place with 61,155 mentions, while Democratic Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton only managed to cling to seventh place with 23,843 mentions.

Other top scorers included Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, Presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov, and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

SCAN compiled the data by analyzing more than 240,000 articles from Russia's national and regional press, television and radio broadcasts, and online news sites each day in January.

Putin and Trump talked by telephone for the first time over the weekend, with both men pledging to restore better ties between Washington and Moscow.

The White House described the conversation as a "significant start to improving the relationship between the United States and Russia that is in need of repair.” 

“Both President Trump and President Putin are hopeful that after today’s call, the two sides can move quickly to tackle terrorism and other important issues of mutual concern,” the White House said in a statement. 

The Kremlin also expressed its delight with the conversation, telling Russians that Trump wished to "happiness and prosperity" for the Russian people.

Sign up for our free weekly newsletter

Our weekly newsletter contains a hand-picked selection of news, features, analysiss and more from The Moscow Times. You will receive it in your mailbox every Friday. Never miss the latest news from Russia. Preview
Subscribers agree to the Privacy Policy

A Message from The Moscow Times:

Dear readers,

We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."

These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.

We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.

Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.

By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.

Once
Monthly
Annual
Continue
paiment methods
Not ready to support today?
Remind me later.

Read more