From 'Covfefe' to Little Rocket Man: Trump's most bizarre and outlandish tweets from 2017

At Donald Trump's inaugural ball in January, the president said to cheers from the audience: "Should I keep the Twitter going or not?"

"Keep it going? I think so. I think so," he said at the Freedom Ball. "The enemies keep saying, 'Oh that's terrible,' but it's a way of bypassing dishonest media right?"

Since then, Trump's infamous personal @realDonaldTrump account has made headlines over the past 12 months with a litany of controversial and, at times, strange posts.

From calling North Korean leader Kim Jong Un "Little Rocket Man" and insulting his rivals to his continuous jabs against the "fake news" media and to the bizarre "covfefe" incident, Trump's 140 and 280-character quick-fire bursts made waves across the globe this year.

Although a rogue Twitter employee did manage to disable his account for all of 11 minutes in November, it didn't last long before the president was back at it with his controversial posts.

Despite fervent appeals and petitions to have his fiery account disabled, Twitter has made it clear that his posts will not be taken down in the interest of the public.

Here are some of President Trump's most controversial and outlandish tweets of 2017:

1. Announcing the transgender military ban

In July, Trump took to Twitter to make the shocking announcement to ban transgender people from military service - a decision that was met with immediate and furious backlash.

2. "Little Rocket Man"

Amid escalating tensions between a defiant and nuclear-armed North Korea and the US, Trump referred to the hermit kingdom's leader as "Little Rocket Man" in a taunting tweet that struck fear across the globe.

3. Calling the media the "enemy of the American people"

In a stunning rebuke of the country's press, Trump slammed the "fake news" media, including the New York Times, NBC News, ABC News, CBS and CNN, as the "enemy of the American people".

4. Accusing Barack Obama of wire-tapping Trump Tower

In one of his most shocking claims this year, Trump claimed that former President Barack Obama wiretapped him during the 2016 presidential election. The Justice Department later debunked the allegation in September saying there is no evidence that Obama ever wiretapped Trump Tower during the election.

5. "Covfefe"

Arguably his standout and most befuddling tweet of the year, Trump's infamous "covfefe" tweet became a viral sensation after the president tweeted a late-night complaint about the negative media that trailed off into the strange and mysterious type.

6. Defending the "beautiful" confederate statues across the US

In the wake of criticism surrounding his handling of the deadly white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, Trump lamented the loss of "beautiful" Confederate statues and monuments across the US.

7. Slamming Mayor Carmen Yulin Cruz after Hurricane Maria

As his administration faced massive criticism over its response to the devastating Hurricane Maria and the humanitarian crisis that followed in Puerto Rico, Trump lashed out at San Juan Mayor Yulin Cruz on Twitter for decrying his relief efforts.

8. Trump's furious series of tweets against the NFL

This year, the president also attacked NFL players who take a knee during the national anthem in protest against racial inequality in the US. The president argued that they should be banned or removed from the field for insulting the flag and country.

His fierce remarks were met with intense criticism over the right to protest and his focus on this issue rather than hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico among other national concerns.

9. Trump's "sloppy" tweet about ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn

After former national security adviser Michael Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI, Trump took to Twitter to post an eyebrow-raising tweet.

Many legal experts said it suggested that Trump knew Flynn lied to the FBI when asking then-FBI director James Comey to drop the investigation and could raise questions of obstruction of justice.

Trump's lawyer later said that he wrote the "sloppy" tweet and it was his "mistake" that the president posted it. However, many expressed scepticism arguing that any lawyer worth his salt would have written "pleaded" not "pled" in the post.

10. Trump's warning to James Comey about possible "tapes" of their conversations

After unceremoniously dismissing FBI Director James Comey, Trump wrote a menacing tweet suggesting the existence of secret recordings of their conversations. The post came before Comey testified before Congress about his dealings with Trump before he was fired.

Following weeks of rampant speculation of the existence of such tapes, Trump later admitted that he did not possess any such recordings.

11. Trump's mocking of MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski's "bleeding face-lift"

In a widely derided series of tweets, Trump slammed the hosts of "Morning Joe," Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski claiming "low I.Q. Crazy Mika" was "bleeding badly from a face lift" when he saw her last year at his Florida resort.

12. Trump's racist "Pocahontas" slur at Senator Elizabeth Warren

Reviving one of his old racist jabs against Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren, Trump referred to her as "Pocahontas" in a tweet in reference his her self-proclaimed Native American heritage.

13. His shocking and violent CNN body-slam tweet

In yet another attack on the media, Trump posted an edited video clip that showed him violently beating up a man with a CNN logo superimposed on his face. The post was immediately denounced as horrifying and disturbing with many saying it promoted violence against journalists.

14. His suggestion to team up with Russia on cybersecurity

Amid investigations and political scrutiny into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Trump said he discussed with Russian President Vladimir Putin the idea of forming an "impenetrable" US-Russia cybersecurity unit. Needless to say, the proposal was immediately shot down by Democrats and Republicans.

"It's not the dumbest idea I have ever heard but it's pretty close," Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said.

15. "Heel"ing the nation

Following the self-described free speech rally and counterprotest in Boston in August, Trump called on Americans to come together saying: "Sometimes you need protest in order to heel, & we will heel, & be stronger than ever before!"

He later deleted the tweet and posted yet another with the same misspelling. He eventually got it right on his third try.

A few weeks later, he misspelt the word twice again while tweeting about Hurricane Harvey relief efforts.

He deleted the first erroneous post, shared and later deleted the second message, but eventually posted his third tweet with the right spelling.

16. Uninviting Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry from visiting the White House

After Golden State Warriors point guard Curry said he didn't want his team to make the traditional visit to the White House to celebrate their NBA championship, Trump decided to rescind the invitation via Twitter.

His post, however, was met with backlash including a "brutal" clap-back from Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James.

17. Trump questioning why Kim Jong-un would "insult me by calling me 'old'"

Last month, Trump was mercilessly mocked over a bizarre "tween-like" rant on Twitter about North Korean leader Kim Jong-un in which he questioned why he would call him "old."

18. His spat with basketball dad LaVar Ball

After Trump took credit for the release of three basketball players who were arrested in China for shoplifting, LaVar Ball - the father of one of the UCLA players - questioned the president's role in their release.

"If you help, you shouldn't have to say anything," Ball said in an interview with CNN's Chris Cuomo. "Somebody told me about the tweet a couple days ago... Why is that on your mind? All this stuff going on, and that's on your mind, that a father didn't say thank you? And you're the head of the U.S.? Come on."

Trump shot back calling Ball "an ungrateful fool" in an escalating war-of-words between the two.

19. His suggestion that Democratic Senator Kirsten Gillibrand "would do anything" for a campaign donation

After Senator Kirsten Gillibrand called from Trump's resignation over the multiple sexual assault allegations against the president, Trump lashed out at her on Twitter in a post that was widely criticised as "extremely sexist".

20. Trump's bizarre call for some "good old global warming"

In a strange and factually incorrect tweet earlier this week, Trump conflated weather with climate and cast doubt on the effects of climate change. His post was, expectedly, blasted by scientists and climate experts.