Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Independent UK
The Independent UK
World
Rachael Revesz

Donald Trump supporters still chanting 'lock her up' during his 'thank you' tour

In the aftermath of the presidential campaign, no one on either side seems to want to move forward. The crudest measure of this stagnant pond was the familiar chant of Donald Trump supporters at his latest rally.

Back in Cincinnati, Ohio, Mr Trump was in his comfort zone at the podium and in front of an adoring crowd, with free reign to chat about his cabinet and fighting Hillary Clinton.

"We did have a lot of fun fighting Hillary, didn't we?" he asked, egging on the crowds.

"Lock her up!" supporters shouted back, pumping fists in the air. "Lock her up!"

Meanwhile the fight was also on between Trump and Clinton top campaign aides at Harvard University. Ms Clinton’s communications director, Jennifer Palmieri, accused the Trump team of giving a platform to white supremacists.

When asked about their spat on CBS the next morning, Mr Trump’s campaign manager Kellyanne Conway replied: "I think some people are stuck in a permanent campaign."

Yet Mr Trump’s supporters - some of whom are still stuck on the idea of Ms Clinton’s impending doom - are likely to be disappointed.

In a meeting with the New York Times last week, Mr Trump said prosecuting his former rival was "no longer something [he] felt so strongly about".

He added he did not want to hurt the Clintons.

"Look, I want to move forward, I don’t want to move back. And I don’t want to hurt the Clintons. I really don’t," he insisted, instantly igniting the fires of diehard anti-Clinton sub-feeds on Reddit.

"This is the problem with the media. You guys took everything that Donald Trump said so literally," Corey Lewandowski, Mr Trump’s former campaign manager, said this week at Harvard. 

"The American people didn’t. They understood it. They understood that sometimes — when you have a conversation with people, whether it’s around the dinner table or at a bar — you’re going to say things, and sometimes you don’t have all the facts to back it up."

Both sides of the campaign are embroiled in legal action over recounting the votes in three swing states that went to Mr Trump - Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan.

The Trump campaign filed a first objection on 1 December against the recount in Michigan, initiated by Green party candidate Jill Stein.

"Jill Stein’s 1% temper tantrum cannot go unchecked," said Michigan Republican Party chairperson, Ronna Romney McDaniel.  

"Stein is not an aggrieved candidate, she cannot possibly win, and she is putting the participation of every single Michigan voter in jeopardy, for no reason, at an exorbitant cost to the Michigan taxpayers."

A voter recount is unlikely to overturn the election results, but the Clinton campaign said they want to participate in the process to ensure every vote has been counted.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.