Facts Matter: Trump called for Clinton to be jailed

Following convictions for 34 charges in his hush money trial, former President Donald Trump sat down for an interview on Fox News.

During the show, co-host Will Cain said to Trump, “You famously said, regarding Hillary Clinton, ‘Lock her up.’ You declined to do that as president.”

But Trump wouldn’t admit that happened.

“I didn’t say ‘lock her up,’ but the people said lock her up, lock her up,” 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.”

But that’s not quite how it went, according to The Washington Post. There were several instances in which Trump called for Clinton to be jailed.

“Hillary Clinton has to go to jail. She has to go to jail. I said that. She’s guilty as hell,” Trump said at a June 2016 rally.

“Every time I mention her, everyone screams, ‘Lock her up, lock her up. You know what, I’m starting to agree with you,” Trump said during a July 2016 rally in Colorado.

“Hillary Clinton should have been prosecuted and should be in jail. Instead she is running for president in what looks like a rigged election,” Trump wrote on Twitter in October 2016.

During an October 2016 debate, Trump told Clinton, “If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation.”

After he was elected president, Trump appeared to have a change of heart. During a November 2016 postelection rally, as the crowd began a chant of “Lock her up,” Trump said, “Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.”

However, at a September 2020 rally, while running for reelection, Trump mentioned “Crooked Hillary,” the crowd started chanting “Lock her up,” and he said, “I agree.”

Celebration wasn’t about Trump

Former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 criminal charges by a New York jury on May 30. Following the verdict, some social media users posted video that appears to show people celebrating.

In a video shared on X that day, with the caption, “NYC right now,” a crowd of people are in a venue with a large TV, which appears to be tuned to CNN. When the screen shows a graphic with Trump’s photo and the words, “Donald J. Trump Convicted,” the people all burst out in celebration, throwing drinks and jumping up and down.

Under the video, it reads, “From The Lincoln Project,” which is a group critical of Trump.

But this video has nothing to do with the conviction of the former president, according to PolitiFact.

The video is actually from 2016, showing a large crowd at the Ashton Gate Sports Bar in Bristol, England. The sports fans in the clip are celebrating as England defeated Wales in the Euro 2016 championship.

The video has also been used to spread false news about United Kingdom prime minister Rishi Sunak, a broadcast showing Trump’s mug shot, President Joe Biden tripping and actor Johnny Depp prevailing in a defamation trial.

Chiefs didn’t cancel Pearl Jam

A recent post claims the Kansas City Chiefs canceled a Pearl Jam show at the teams stadium after lead singer Eddie Vedder criticized a May 11 commencement address by Chief’s place-kicker Harrison Butker at Benedictine College in Atchison, KS.

During the speech, Butker said, “I want to speak directly to you briefly because I think it is you, the women, who have had the most diabolical lies told to you.”

He went on to say that he believes women in the crowd “are most excited about your marriage and the children you will bring into this world.” He said his wife Isabelle’s “life truly started when she began living her vocation as a wife and as a mother” and she has embraced “one of the most important titles of all: homemaker.”

The Facebook post reads, “Kansas City Cancels Three Pearl Jam Shows At Arrowhead Stadium: ‘We Stand With Harrison Butker.’”

But this post is a false claim, according to Reuters. Pearl Jam is not scheduled to play Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The venue isn’t listed as a stop on the band’s upcoming tour. The post links to an article on a satirical website.

Vedder recently stopped a show at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to address Butker’s speech when he thanked the opening act, Deep Sea Dive, which includes two women.

“The singer, Jessica, and the keyboard player, Patti, they must not have believed that ‘diabolical lie’ that women should take pride in taking a back seat to their man,” Vedder said. “There should be pride in homemaking whether you’re a man or a woman. It’s maybe one of the hardest jobs and you should definitely take pride in it.”

• Bob Oswald is a veteran Chicago-area journalist and former news editor of the Elgin Courier-News. Contact him at boboswald33@gmail.com.