In the wake of former President Donald Trump’s criminal conviction, he and his allies have aimed their wrath squarely at his perceived political enemies, ratcheting up the tension across the country and possibly fueling violent threats.
Reuters reported on Thursday that Trump supporters have flooded corners of the internet with calls for riots and violent retribution against jurors in the trial and Judge Juan Merchan. There have also been calls online to dox the jurors, Merchan and journalists, according to Advance Democracy, a group that monitors right-wing social media.
Violent political threats over the trial had soared even before Trump was convicted on Thursday, but the anger and indignation emanating from the right since he was found guilty has been notable. Right-wing media figures vowed to seek vengeance, and Republican lawmakers were similarly apocalyptic in their reactions: Rep. Troy Nehls told Axios there would be “hell to pay.” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene posted on X an image of an upside-down American flag associated with the “Stop The Steal” movement. Sen. Marco Rubio blamed the verdict on Biden and the “deranged left.” Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said it was “a battle between good and evil.”
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom after he was convicted, Trump portrayed his conviction as an attempt to damage his re-election bid. “Our whole country is being rigged right now,” he said. “This is done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent — a political opponent.”
As most Republicans fall in line with Trump’s cries of injustice, Democrats have expressed concern over potential unrest and a repeat of the Jan. 6 violence. Trump has exploited various complexities of the case to mislead his supporters about the trial and stir up outrage. Now that the trial has ended with his conviction, he and his allies have upped the ante with inflammatory rhetoric as we head into a high-stakes election in November.
Clarissa-Jan Lim is a breaking news reporter for MS NOW. She was previously a senior reporter and editor at BuzzFeed News.
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