ABC News Study Finds 36 Suspects Invoked 'Trump' in Violence, Threats or Assault Cases

ABC News conducted a nationwide review and identified at least 36 criminal cases where President Donald Trump’s name was invoked in violent acts, threats of violent acts or assault.

According to ABC News, “[i]n nine cases, perpetrators hailed Trump in the midst or immediate aftermath of physically attacking innocent victims. In another 10 cases, perpetrators cheered or defended Trump while taunting or threatening others. And in another 10 cases, Trump and his rhetoric were cited in court to explain a defendant’s violent or threatening behavior.”

ABC News found no evidence of any violence or threats connected directly to Presidents Barack Obama or George W. Bush.

Also Read: 8Chan Still Offline After Losing Another Host: 'We Do Not Tolerate Hate Speech'

The findings come days after the suspected gunman behind the El Paso, Texas, massacre posted his white-supremacist manifesto online before the attack. In the manifesto, language is used to describe immigration and immigrants that is similar to language Trump has used in the past.

Trump called for unity after the El Paso and Dayton, Ohio attacks and has avoided linking his rhetoric to violence. He lashed out at former White House press secretary Anthony Scaramucci for his recent television appearances that condemned Trump’s language. At the time of the appearances, during one where he said there was a link between Trump’s words and the violence in El Paso, Scaramucci was still an ally. After being attacked by Trump on Twitter, Scaramucci is no longer in favor of the president’s re-election.

Notably, ABC News found that even cases involved violent or threatening acts done in defiance of Trump, though the majority of the cases “reflect someone echoing presidential rhetoric, not protesting it.”

15 Stars Who Imagined Violence Against Donald Trump, From Kathy Griffin to Pearl Jam (Photos)

Since the election, several celebrities have voiced their displeasure -- even anger -- with the Trump administration. Some have gone so far as to suggest violent measures. From Robert De Niro to Snoop Dogg, here are some left-leaning noteworthy people who have fanned themes of violence toward Trump and the GOP.
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Mickey Rourke

In a TMZ video from 2015, this boxer-turned-actor directed his rage toward Trump, calling him a "big-mouthed bitch bully," saying he would "love 30 seconds in a room with the little bitch." Rourke has also expressed a desire to "give [Trump] a Louisville slugger."

Also Read: Mickey Rourke Calls Donald Trump ‘Biggest Scumbag on the Planet’ (Video)
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Larry Wilmore

In late February 2016, the host of Comedy Central's now-canceled "The Nightly Show" joked about then-candidate Donald Trump: “I don’t want to give him any more oxygen. That’s not a euphemism, by the way. I mean it literally. Somebody get me the pillow they used to kill [Supreme Court Justice Antonin] Scalia and I’ll do it — I’ll do it!"
George Lopez

During the Republican primaries in March 2016, the Mexican American comedian tweeted a cartoon image of former Mexican president Vincente Fox holding the decapitated head of Donald Trump aloft, with the caption "Make America Great Again."
Marilyn Manson

Shock-rocker Marilyn Manson had to take his turn in the Trump-bashing festivities. In a teaser video for his song, "Say10," released just after the 2016 election, a Trump-like figure wearing a suit and a red tie lies decapitated on a concrete floor, in a pool of his own blood.
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Rosie O'Donnell

In July 2017, O'Donnell tweeted out a link to a game called "Push Trump Off A Cliff Again." This made many conservatives want to push her off a cliff, not POTUS.

Also Read: Rosie O’Donnell Draws Fire for Tweeting ‘Push Trump Off a Cliff’ Game
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Madonna

Madonna told a crowd of thousands at the Women's March on Washington in January 2017 that she had “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House." The singer's profanity-riddled jab at the Republican administration provoked the anger of many conservatives.

Also Read: Madonna Thought About ‘Blowing Up the White House,’ Unloads F-Bombs in Speech (Video)
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Robert De Niro

The actor is not afraid to express his disdain for the commander in chief. De Niro confirmed to ABC's "The View" in February 2017 that he would like to punch Trump in the face. He clarified earlier comments, saying "It wasn’t like I was gonna go find him and [really] punch him in the face, but he’s gotta hear it."

Also Read: Robert De Niro Doubles Down on Trump Rant: ‘Of Course I Want to Punch Him’ (Video)
Brigitte Lacombe/Film Society of Lincoln Center
Snoop Dogg

Snoop Dogg's music video for "Lavender," released in March 2017, (literally) paints POTUS as a clown and orchestrates his death. At the video's end, the "Gin and Juice" rapper points a gun at the harlequin Trump figure and shoots. But instead of a bullet, a red flag that reads "Bang!" fires out of the gun.

Also Read: Watch Snoop Dogg Shoot ‘F—ing Clown’ Dressed as Trump in New Music Video
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Kathy Griffin

The comedian landed in hot water in May 2017 after photos surfaced of her holding a fake bloody, decapitated Trump head. Griffin was promptly dropped from her annual New Year's Eve gig by CNN. Toilet stool company Squatty Potty also pulled its ads featuring Griffin. Trump himself called the photos "sick" and tweeted that his youngest son, Barron, was "having a hard time" with the images. Griffin later apologized.

Also Read: Kathy Griffin Comedy Shows Canceled Over Trump Photo (Report)
Tyler Shields
NYC Public Theater's "Julius Caesar"

The nonprofit theater staged a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar" in May-June 2017 that made conservative viewers want to revolt. In the production, a Trumplike figure playing the title role is stabbed to death by a band of angry Senators. The Public Theater subsequently lost sponsorships from Delta Airlines and Bank of America.

Also Read: ‘Julius Caesar’ Theater Review: Trump and the Bard Both Assassinated in Bloody Debacle
Joan Marcus
Moby

The musician's new video, released in June 2017, is simultaneously nostalgic and dystopian. In 1980s cartoon fashion, a giant Transformer-like Trump morphs into a swastika/dollar sign and wreaks havoc on a city before meeting a fiery, explosive demise.

Also Read: Moby Explodes Swastika-Dollar Sign Trump in New Video
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Johnny Depp

During an appearance at the U.K.'s 2017 Glastonbury music and arts festival, the actor tore into the president -- "I think Trump needs help" -- and then made an ill-considered joke: “When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?” Depp claimed his joke was misconstrued and eventually issued an apology.

Also Read: Johnny Depp on Trump: ‘When Was the Last Time an Actor Assassinated a President?’ (Video)
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Anthony Bourdain

Asked what he'd serve at a peace summit between President Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, the celebrity chef told a TMZ video crew in 2017: "Hemlock."
CNN
Big Sean

In February 2017 rapper Big Sean rapped a verse about killing the President on his "I Decided" album. The lyrics are, “And I might just kill ISIS with the same icepick/That I murder Donald Trump in the same night with."
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Pearl Jam

At a show in Montana in August 2018 that served as a fundraiser for Sen. Jon Tester, the Seattle-based rockers released a cartoon poster commemorating the show that featured a bald eagle picking at the rotting corpse of President Trump on the White House lawn.

Also Read: Trump’s Rotting Cartoon Corpse Appears in Pearl Jam Poster for Montana Concert (Photo)
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Violent words and imagery crosses the aisle as well.

Also Read: 7 Stars Who Imagined Violence Against Barack Obama, Democrats (Photos)

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Some celebrities have been more than outspoken in their criticism of the Republican president

Since the election, several celebrities have voiced their displeasure -- even anger -- with the Trump administration. Some have gone so far as to suggest violent measures. From Robert De Niro to Snoop Dogg, here are some left-leaning noteworthy people who have fanned themes of violence toward Trump and the GOP.

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15 Stars Who Imagined Violence Against Donald Trump, From Kathy Griffin to Pearl Jam (Photos)

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