Donald Trump Supporters ‘Inspired to Violence Again’—Former Prosecutor

Supporters of Donald Trump are “inspired to violence again” following the former president’s guilty conviction in his criminal trial in Manhattan, according to legal analyst and former federal prosecutor Glenn Kirschner on Friday.

In a case brought forward by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, a New York jury on Thursday found Trump, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records relating to a hush money payment made to adult film star Stormy Daniels by Trump’s then-lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen shortly before the 2016 presidential election. Daniels alleged she had a sexual encounter with Trump in 2006, which he denies. Trump has maintained his innocence and says the case is politically motivated. His legal team says they will fight the case, which will include an appeal if necessary.

Making history, Trump became the first former U.S. president to be convicted of a crime and now faces possible jail time, which will be determined at his July 11 sentencing, just days before the Republican National Convention.

“This was a disgrace. This was a rigged trial by a conflicted judge who was corrupt,” the former president said outside the courtroom following the verdict.

President Joe Biden on Friday called Trump’s comments casting doubt on the legal system “reckless,” calling his rhetoric “dangerous.” He added that “it’s irresponsible for anyone to say this was rigged just because they don’t like the verdict.”

At a press conference at Trump Tower, the former president gave a speech covering the trial and politics. Regarding the Biden administration’s immigration policy, he said on Friday, “We have a president and a group of fascists” running the government, claiming, “They’re destroying our country. Our country is in very bad shape. And they’re very much against me, saying these things.”

In a Friday video on his YouTube channel, Kirschner, a former assistant U.S. attorney and a frequent Trump critic, said that “it’s time to put a stop to letting Donald Trump induce and incite and encourage violence” and that “it’s time to send Donald Trump to prison.”

Since Thursday’s verdict, there has been an influx of social media posts from users calling for doxing of jurors, attacks against Judge Juan Merchan who oversaw the trial, and armed insurrection on social media platforms, including Truth Social—Trump’s social media platform—among others. Numerous posts with violent language and imagery have been taken down based on the individual platform’s policies.

According to an NBC News article on Friday, a Truth Social user wrote, “I hope every juror is doxxed and they pay for what they have done,” adding, “May God strike them dead. We will on November 5th and they will pay!”

Other users allegedly posted on the website formerly known as The Donald, “We need to identify each juror. Then make them miserable. Maybe even suicidal.” Another user wrote, “1,000,000 men (armed) need to go to washington and hang everyone. That’s the only solution.”

Kirschner also drew parallels to the former president’s rhetoric surrounding the January 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol riot where a mob of Trump supporters attacked the U.S. Capitol building to keep Trump in power after he lost the 2020 election to Biden. Trump, without evidence, claimed the election was stolen via widespread voter fraud and had encouraged supporters to march to the Capitol and “fight like hell.”

“Just like on January 6, Donald Trump’s supporters are being inspired to violence again by Trump’s dangerous, reckless, violence-inducing statements, posts, and rhetoric,” Kirschner said in his Friday video.

Meanwhile, some Make America Great Again (MAGA) supporters have warned of a potential “civil war,” including podcast host Joey Mannarino, who posted on X, formerly Twitter, “The Civil War just began. We no longer live in a democracy.”

Tim Pool, a conservative commentator with over 2 million followers, wrote: “war.”

In response to Kirschner’s claim that Trump supporters are “inspired to violence again,” Steven Cheung, Trump’s campaign communications director, told Newsweek in an email on Saturday morning: “Glenn is a notorious trafficker of wild conspiracy theories and dubious legal analysis. I would expect nothing more from a clout-chasing MSNBC contributor who has been shunned by the legal community at large.”

Newsweek has reached out to Kirschner for comment on Saturday via email.

Todd Landman, a professor of political science at the School of Politics and International Relations at the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom, previously told Newsweek, “For many it [the verdict] was a vindication and a demonstration of accountability. For others, it was an example of political persecution spearheaded by the Democrats.”

He added: “Supporters of Mr. Trump are outraged and are lashing out at the justice system, particularly that of New York. It is not unreasonable to expect a backlash that involves violence, particularly against some of the protagonists in the Manhattan trial. Targeted violence in the first instance could lead to a wider conflagration across the United States involving highly polarized actors. My sincere hope is that this is not the case.”