Donald Trump denies ‘lock her up’ threat to Hillary Clinton
Donald Trump falsely claims he did not call for former election rival Hillary Clinton to be jailed, telling Fox News: ‘I didn’t say ‘lock her up’.’
Donald Trump falsely claims he did not call for former election rival Hillary Clinton to be jailed, telling Fox News: “I didn’t say ‘lock her up’.”
Mr Trump, who is facing a possible prison sentence after becoming the first US president to be convicted of a felony, repeatedly demanded Ms Clinton be put behind bars during their 2016 election campaign battle.
The “lock her up” chant was notorious at Trump rallies during the campaign and for years after, and he often said he agreed with it or called for her jailing many times.
During the interview aired on Fox on Sunday night (Monday AEST), Mr Trump was asked about the call, which refers to Ms Clinton’s use of a private email server while she was secretary of state.
“You famously said, regarding Hillary Clinton, ‘Lock her up’. You declined to do that as president,” host Will Cain said.
“I beat her,” Mr Trump replied. “It’s easier when you win. And they always said ‘lock her up’, and I felt … and I could have done it, but I felt it would have been a terrible thing. And then this happened to me. And so I may feel differently about it.”
He went on to deny joining in the chant.
“I didn’t say ‘lock her up’, but the people said ‘lock her up, lock her up’,” Mr Trump said. “Then, we won. And I say – and I said pretty openly, I said, all right, come on, just relax, let’s go, we’ve got to make our country great.”
US media swiftly fact-checked the claim, and some social media users posted cuts of the Republican figurehead agreeing with the chant or explicitly calling for Ms Clinton to be jailed.
Ms Clinton, the wife of former president Bill Clinton, was investigated over her use of a private email server but no charges were filed.
Mr Trump was convicted last week of 34 counts of falsifying business records to cover up hush-money payments to porn star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election. He is to be sentenced on July 11.
Mr Trump also acknowledged the possibility that he could be handed jail time, warning that while he was “OK with it” such a move could prove a “breaking point” for his supporters.
The warning has resonated across a country already concerned about the prospect of political violence in the increasingly heated run-up to the November 5 presidential election.
“I’m OK with it,” Mr Trump said, but added he was “not sure the public would stand for it”.
“I think it would be tough for the public to take. You know, at a certain point there’s a breaking point.”
Mr Trump will be running as a felon, and he has repeatedly refused to commit to accepting the result should he lose to Joe Biden.
AFP
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