Right now, trying to keep track of everything that's happening in Washington is like trying to stay on top of your email. It's overwhelming, exhausting, and, most of the time, feels completely impossible.
Twitter can be a helpful tool, but you have to use it the right way. Only looking at posts from one political party or news organization can turn your feed into an echo chamber, filtering out any diversity of views. But following the hundreds (thousands?) of politicians and media outlets at both ends of the political spectrum is equally unreasonable.
With this in mind, we decided to create a Twitter guide for those who want to stay well-informed about how both sides are reporting the latest news. Our suggestions for who you should follow are based on an assortment of criteria. First, we made sure to include people with a range of political affiliations. Second, we have only included people who tweet consistently. (We didn't include Jared Kushner, for example, because he never tweets, despite having 29.6K followers.) And third, we included people beyond the obvious key players (i.e., the president, vice president, first lady, and second lady).
This list will evolve over the next four years, so if there's someone you think should be on it, add your nomination in the comments. Ahead, we're kicking it off with a handful of people to follow now if you want to stay informed about what's going on in Washington.
Bernie Sanders, @SenSanders
The former presidential candidate and current Democratic senator from Vermont speaks out strongly against President Trump's views on climate change and immigration.
Photo: via @SenSanders.
Megyn Kelly, @megynkelly
As the new administration settles in, expect the former voice of Fox News and soon-to-be NBC host to weigh in with her own takes on the latest developments.
Photo: via @megynkelly.
Elizabeth Warren, @SenWarren
Warren, the Democratic senator from Massachusetts, regularly tweets about immigration, the environment, and healthcare policies.
Photo: via @SenWarren.
Lindsey Graham,@LindseyGrahamSC
The Republican senator from South Carolina agrees with President Trump's views on Obamacare, but disagrees with some of his thoughts on trade.
Photo: via @LindseyGrahamSC.
Maggie Haberman, @maggieNYT
The New York Times White House correspondent sets the record straight on reported facts and asks the hard questions about the current administration.
Photo: via @maggieNYT.
Ivanka Trump, @IvankaTrump
The First Daughter's recent tweets have primarily consisted of family-related photos and comments of late. However, as her role within the White House becomes clearer, expect to see more policy-oriented posts as well.
Photo: via @IvankaTrump.
Mazie Hirono, @maziehirono
The Hawaiian senator is one of the strongest voices for environmental protection and taking action against climate change.
Photo: via @maziehirono.
Paul Ryan, @SpeakerRyan
The Speaker of the House and Republican congressman from Wisconsin tweets about the House's work with President Trump.
Photo: via @SpeakerRyan.
Dan Scavino Jr., @DanScavino.
Expect to see Trump-approved coverage and messaging from the White House director of social media.
Photo: via @DanScavino.
Nancy Pelosi, @NancyPelosi
The Deomocratic House Minority Leader voices her support of the ACA and opposition to Trump's immigration (and other) policies.
Photo: via @NancyPelosi.
Kamala Harris, @KamalaHarris
The California senator has made it known that she will fight against Trump's immigrations policies. She is a strong supporter of women, people of color, and immigrants on her Twitter feed.
Photo: via @KamalaHarris.
Sean Spicer, @PressSec
Spicer, the White House Press Secretary, tweets about press briefings and calls out what he (or his boss) views as inaccuracies in the media reports.
Photo: via @PressSec.
Michael Steele, @MichaelSteele
The former chairman of the Republican National Committee frequently tweets Trump quotes, while also offering his two cents on comments from his own followers.
Photo: via @MichaelSteele.
Kirsten Gillibrand, @SenGillibrand
The Democratic senator from New York is a strong supporter of women's rights and has been tweeting her concerns about Trump's cabinet nominees. She is the only senator to vote against all of them, and is one to watch over the next four years.
Photo: via @SenGillibrand.
Sara Murray, @SaraMurray
The CNN political reporter has followed Trump since early in his campaign. Murray provides informed retweets from fellow political reporters and her own insights from major events.
Photo: via @SaraMurray.
Kellyanne Conway, @KellyannePolis
You will see nothing but praise for President Trump on Conway's Twitter account. The former campaign manager and current presidential counselor tweets about polls and ratings supporting the president as well as links to her own TV appearances.
Photo: via @KellyannePolis.
Rachel Maddow, @maddow
The political commentator and host of The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC always has a fresh take on the news cycle, and often unearths fascinating items that haven't already been widely reported.
Photo: via @maddow.
Abby D. Phillip, @abbydphillip
Go to the Washington Post political reporter's feed to keep up with breaking news on White House statements and policy updates.
Photo: via @abbydphillip.
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