Former President Donald Trump’s conviction on 34 felony counts by a New York jury, his supporters flooded pro-Trump websites with calls for riots, revolution, and violent retribution. The surge in violent rhetoric underscores the escalating tensions within Trump’s base and raises concerns about the potential for further unrest.
The Reuters review of comments on three Trump-aligned websites—Truth Social, Patriots.Win, and the Gateway Pundit—revealed a disturbing trend of online posts advocating for attacks on jurors, the execution of the judge, and even civil war. Some commentators openly called for violence against perceived adversaries, including liberals and immigrants.
Trump’s baseless claims of election fraud and his portrayal of the judiciary as corrupt tools of the Biden administration have fueled a campaign of threats and intimidation targeting judges and court officials. Trump’s rhetoric, both during his trial and after his conviction, has further inflamed his supporters, who view him as a victim of a conspiracy orchestrated by his enemies.
While most of the posts identified by Reuters stopped short of meeting the legal threshold for prosecutable threats, they nonetheless reflect a deeply concerning willingness among some of Trump’s followers to resort to violence in support of their cause. Experts warn that the guilty verdict could serve as a catalyst for further extremist action, particularly among those who view Trump as a martyr unjustly persecuted by the political establishment.
