Trump appears in court for an arraignment on charges stemming from his indictment by a Manhattan grand jury following a probe into hush money paid to porn star Stormy Daniels, in New York City, US, on April 4, 2023, in this courtroom sketch. — Reuters
Emotional hashtags and phrases related to the arrest of former US president Donald Trump circulated throughout social media on the afternoon of Tuesday, April 4, following his arraignment on 34 charges of falsifying business records, stemming from 2016 hush money payments to adult-film actress Stormy Daniels.
Political leaders, celebrities and general users on Twitter took to the platform both in support and disdain for the former president. Some called the charges a scheme against Trump, while others stated they hoped they would result in time behind bars for him.
Sen. Mitt Romney released a link to his statement on Twitter, which read, “I believe President Trump’s character and conduct make him unfit for office. Even so, I believe the New York prosecutor has stretched to reach felony criminal charges in order to fit a political agenda.
“No one is above the law, not even former presidents, but everyone is entitled to equal treatment under the law. The prosecutor’s overreach sets a dangerous precedent for criminalising political opponents and damages the public’s faith in our justice system,” the former presidential candidate wrote.
Romney went on to state how the charges would be reviewed by a jury, that he believed American voters would “render their own judgment on the former President’s political future” and that “all elected leaders should “discourage violence and anger.”
Todd Aschenbrenner on Twitter responded to Romney’s statement, “It’s a misuse of the justice system. This is all part of political scheme to get Trump the nomination, because the Dems know it’s their best shot to hold on to power. So sad.”
New York Senator and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer said, “I believe that Donald Trump will have a fair trial that follows the facts and the law. There’s no place in our justice system for any outside influence or intimidation in the legal process. As the trial proceeds, protest is an American right, but all protests must be peaceful.”
Elon Musk responded to the senator’s tweet with a statement on the bipartisanship of the criminal justice system.
“To avoid losing the trust of the American public, it is important that our justice system pursue Democrats and Republicanswith equal vigor. Whichever party most puts justice before nepotism is the one that deserves trust.”
Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez didn’t directly make a public statement on the matter, but she quote-tweeted a tweet from Joyce Alene, former US Attorney for the District of Alabama, which stated, “Donald Trump Jr. has posted a picture of the judge’s daughter on truth social.”
Ocasio-Cortez said, “Because nothing says “innocent” like threatening a judge’s family,” and then expanded below.
“Let’s be very clear: intimidation and stochastic terror are the core tools of Trump and the fascist movements that support him. They rely on it to skirt consequence and silence others – and each time it works, they grow more brazen. One reason why accountability is so important,” Ocasio-Cortez wrote.
Others also had visceral reactions to the arrest. Roger Look, a Twitter user stated, “This bogus list of charges will cost NYC more for security, clean up, overtime then it will cost Trump. Then the law suits to follow. 34 lowest felonies they could come up with. Witch hunt with a stick not a silver cross. the prosecutor is wasting tax money.”
TikTok influencer JoJoFromJerz tweeted, “He just came out of the courtroom and he looked like a spoiled toddler who didn’t get to have ice cream for dinner.”
She added, “To be honest, I’m really sad about what donald trump has done to this country and to the office of the Presidency and glad that he was finally charged with a crime at the same time.”
Another user, whose screen name only read @kkalex56gotrump, wrote, “TIME TO INCITE VIOLENCE IN THE SCAM OF AN INDITMENT AGAINST TRUMP AND TAKE THE (expletive) COUNTRY BACK PLEASE PASS ALONG/” in multiple separate tweets, and also quote-tweeted several others.
Twitter user Anthony Snell tweeted, “I wish Trump supporters would formulate and articulate a critically sound argument rather than throw childish insults.”
Prior to the arrest and arraignment, actor and comedian Terrence Williams tweeted, “FREE DONALD TRUMP,” then proceeded to call for prayers for the former president’s safety, and compared his arrest to the day Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot – which was April 4, 1968.
“This is heartbreaking and I feel sick to my stomach because I know Trump doesn’t deserve to be treated like this,” Williams wrote.
Memes and other statements also circulated on the platform, including the hashatag and phrase #LockHimUp, which coined Trump’s former phrase of “lock her up” in regards to his former political opponent Hillary Clinton. – masslive.com/Tribune News Service
