Immediately following former President Donald Trump's 34-count felony conviction in New York, there was a push in pro-Trump online spaces to expose the identities of the jurors who convicted him.
But that's just the beginning, reported Reuters: the conviction has triggered a rising chorus of threats and calls for violence among Trump supporters, including against presiding Judge Juan Merchan.
"After Trump became the first U.S. president to be convicted of a crime, his supporters responded with dozens of violent online posts, according to a Reuters review of comments on three Trump-aligned websites: the former president's own Truth Social platform, Patriots.Win and the Gateway Pundit," reported Joseph Tanfani, Ned Parker and Peter Eisler. "Some called for attacks on jurors, the execution of the judge, Justice Juan Merchan, or outright civil war and armed insurrection."
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"'Someone in NY with nothing to lose needs to take care of Merchan,' wrote one commentator on Patriots.Win. 'Hopefully he gets met with illegals with a machete,' the post said in reference to illegal immigrants. On Gateway Pundit, one poster suggested shooting liberals after the verdict. 'Time to start capping some leftys,' said the post. 'This cannot be fixed by voting.'"
Ever since the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol in response to Trump losing the presidential election, law enforcement officials have been on high alert for violent threats in right-wing extremism corners — and, the report noted, Trump has done little to douse the flames.
"Threats of violence and intimidating rhetoric soared after Trump lost the 2020 election and falsely claimed the vote was stolen," the report continued. "As he campaigns for a second White House term, Trump has baselessly cast the judges and prosecutors in his trials as corrupt tools of the Biden administration, intent on sabotaging his White House bid. His loyalists have responded with a campaign of threats and intimidation targeting judges and court officials."
Trump faces three other criminal trials in addition to the case in New York; however, due to a series of procedural hurdles and delays, it is unlikely that any will be heard before the November election.
