‘Despicable!’: Trump Causes Fury by Claiming Impeachment Is ‘a Lynching’

‘Despicable!’: Trump Causes Fury by Claiming Impeachment Is ‘a Lynching’

Social media users have reacted with fury after President Donald Trump compared the impeachment inquiry to a lynching. Trump was up early and tweeting on Tuesday when he chose to use the word ‘lynching’, which has a long and terrible history in the U.S.

“All Republicans must remember what they are witnessing here – a lynching. But we will WIN!” Trump said.

Reaction to the President’s tweet was swift and condemnation rolled in from Twitter users, including public figures.

Conservative lawyer George Conway, who is married to Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway, called Trump ‘deranged’.

Many speculated about how Trump’s Republican supporters would defend his use of the term, considering the impact it was likely to have on African-Americans in particular.

“Prepare for Trump surrogates to start referring to his possible impeachment as a lynching while wondering why black Americans do not vote for Republicans,” the Washington Post‘s Eugene Scott said.

Democratic presidential candidate Julián Castro weighed in, calling Trump ‘beyond shameful’.

As some noted, this is the first time Trump has referred to impeachment as a ‘lynching’. He has previously described it as a ‘witch hunt’ – a much less loaded term in U.S. culture. Trump’s choice of language Tuesday morning is an escalation of this rhetoric.

Darragh Roche

Darragh Roche is Political Media Editor

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