New York: Donald Trumps shock victory in the US elections has triggered a flood of calls on Twitter and other social media outlets for the President-elect to be assassinated — and authorities will investigate all threats deemed to be credible, The New York Post has learned.
The development comes as demonstrators continued to take to the streets for a second day across the US against Trump’s victory in the country’s presidential election.
In Portland, Oregon, an estimated 4,000 protesters chanted “We reject the president-elect!”, with some throwing objects at police, prompting several arrests.
According to The Post, a simple search on Twitter can reveal dozens and dozens of calls to gun down Trump. Some posts called for both Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence to be assassinated, and there’s even an #AssassinateTrump hashtag.
“Trump chose the literal worst case scenario as VP so nobody would try to impeach or assassinate him,” one user posted on Twitter.
Last Saturday, Trump was rushed off a stage on in Reno, Nevada, where Secret Service agents took action after an “unidentified individual shouted ‘gun'” in front of the stage. Authorities took the man, Austyn Crites, into custody, but did not find a gun, the Secret Service said in a statement, according to the Washington Post.
Meanwhile, Trump, after blasting the media and protesters in aggressive tweets after people took to the streets to protest against the election results, Trump on Friday said he loves the “passion” of his countrymen for their country, media reported.
“Love the fact that the small groups of protesters last night have passion for our great country,” Trump tweeted, the New York Post reported.
“We will all come together and be proud!”
The gracious gesture – playing down the widespread protests or what police labelled as “riots” – was a change from Thursday night when Trump flashed annoyance at his detractors.
“Just had a very open and successful presidential election. Now professional protesters, incited by the media, are protesting. Very unfair!” Trump tweeted.
Thousands of protesters have taken to the streets in major cities across the US since Trump defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton on Tuesday night, with the slogan “Not my President”.
Since Thursday, thousands of demonstrators, including immigration rights and environmental activists, have protested in cities like Boston, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C., in front of the Trump International Hotel.
On Wednesday in Wellsville, New York a passer-by spotted a swastika and the phrase “Make America White Again” on a softball dugout. Graffiti, with Nazi imagery and the word “Trump”, was also discovered on a storefront in Philadelphia.
Police said they would look into the incident, though they haven’t received any reports.
The New York City Police Department confirmed on Thursday that at least 65 persons were detained on different charges, including disturbing the peace and resisting arrest.
—IANS