Donald Trump is not your ordinary convicted criminal — he's also a cult leader with an army of followers who are now calling for violence on Truth Social and other online platforms. Violence against jurors, violence against Judge Juan Merchan, violence against liberals, and violence in the form of civil war.
"Someone in NY with nothing to lose needs to take care of Merchan…Hopefully he gets met with illegals with a machete," said one MAGA soldier on the far-right Patriots.Win platform, via Reuters. "1,000,000 men (armed) need to go to Washington and hang everyone. That's the only solution," said another.
Meanwhile, so-called "patriots" on Gateway Pundit were calling for the same. "Time to start capping some leftys…This cannot be fixed by voting," said one, while another shouted, "AMERICA FULLY DESTROYED BY DEMOCRATS. LOCK AND LOAD."
Some cult members got right to the point, according to USA Today, such as a Proud Boys chapter from Ohio, who on Telegram spread their message with just one word: "War."
And of course, all over said platforms, as well as Gab and X, the MAGA mob waved upside-down flags (symbolizing Trump's 2020 Big Lie about a stolen election).
And then there was Trump himself, leading the angry mob with his own menacing words on Truth Social, calling Merchan "HIGHLY CONFLICTED" and crying the blues like a true martyr. Naturally, his violent disciples quickly reacted with one "posting a picture of a hangman's platform and a noose with the caption: 'TREASONOUS MOBSTER OF THE JUSTICES SYSTEM!!'" From Reuters:
Jacob Ware, a co-author of the book "God, Guns, and Sedition: Far-Right Terrorism in America", said the violent language used by Trump's followers was testament to the former president's "ironclad ability to mobilize more extreme supporters to action, both at the ballot box and through violence."
"Until and unless he accepts the process, the extremist reaction to his legal troubles will be militant," said Ware, a research fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. …
While the posts identified by Reuters all called for violence or insurrection, most fell short of the legal standard for a prosecutable threat, which typically requires evidence that the comment reflects a clear intent to act or instill fear, rather than simply suggesting a frightening outcome.
Still, one researcher who studies extremist militias said the guilty verdict could inspire violence by reinforcing a conviction among some of Trump's supporters that he's a victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by his enemies.
Previously: If Trump loses, America will erupt in violence: are we ready?
