Politicians’ use of national identity rhetoric on social media predicts engagement and electoral success

Politicians invest heavily in social media to amplify narratives about their nations, but the effectiveness of such approaches remains unclear. Analyzing 758,222 posts from US and UK politicians on X (formerly Twitter), we found that right-wing politicians’ posts portraying the nation as exceptional and entitled (defensive identity rhetoric) received 42% more likes and 34% more reposts than their other posts. Left-wing politicians did not enjoy similar benefits online, and Democrats who used more defensive rhetoric (+1SD) in their posts before an election received a 42% smaller vote share. Defensive rhetoric did not hamper the electoral success of Republicans. Posts highlighting national pride and attachment (positive identity rhetoric) benefitted both sides. They received 27% more likes than other posts and politicians who used more positive identity rhetoric (+1SD) before an election received a 16% greater vote share. The research establishes a link between identity rhetoric, online attention, and electoral success.