According to a report from the HuffPost, far-right extremists who are hoping to disrupt the inauguration of President-elect Joe Biden on Wednesday are furious with the president after he issued a video urging calm and no more violence following the storming of the Capitol that left five dead.
With the president reeling from blowback after he encouraged rallygoers to march on Congress, thereby sending lawmakers to flee for their lives, he was pressed by close aides to ask for calm -- particularly with the transfer of power scheduled to occur on Jan 20th.
That video, and a subsequent one, in turn enraged some of his most rabid followers who turned to chatrooms to accuse the president of being a coward and a traitor to the cause he initiated.
According to the HuffPost's Jesselyn Cook, "When he [Trump] emerged on camera a short while later, tail tucked between his legs, to condemn the rioters he was responsible for inciting, and to call for a peaceful transfer of power to president-elect Joe Biden, his base felt betrayed."
As one commenter wrote on Telegram, "So he basically just sold out the patriots who got rounded up for him. Just wow."
Comments like that flooded sites like "Gab, CloutHub, MeWe, Telegram and far-right message boards such as 8kun," showed a dramatic seachange attitude towards the outgoing president as Cook documented.
"Some have called for his arrest or execution, labeling him a 'traitor' and a 'coward.' Alarmingly, many of those who are irate about Biden's supposed electoral theft are still plotting to forcibly prevent him from taking office – with or without Trump's help," she wrote. "'We don't follow you,' another Telegram user wrote, addressing Trump, after the president put out his video urging calm and order. 'Be quiet and get out of our way.'"
One member of an encrypted Boogaloo chat, wrote, "Theres [sic] a war coming, and cowering in your home [while] real patriots march with rifles ... will make you a traitor."
According to the report, "CloutHub, MeWe and Telegram shot to the top of the charts of popular free apps on the App Store and Google PlayStorein the wake of the siege," where the HuffPost documented commenters writing, "'burn down' the Capitol, launch 'an armed revolt,' 'pop some libtards' and 'TAKE THIS COUNTRY BACK WHATEVER IT TAKES!!' Some posts are more specific: 'Civil War is here. Group up locally. Take out the News stations,' one person declared. 'LET'S HANG THEM ALL,' another implored. 'LET'S FINISH THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY.'"
You can read more here.