Let her go? Trump's supporters fume over U-turn

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption "Lock her up" chants, "Hillary for prison" T-shirts and jailbird costumes were all features of Donald Trump's campaign rallies

Donald Trump's decision not to pursue charges against Hillary Clinton hasn't gone down well with his supporters - many are angry that he's gone back on an election promise.

It was one of the most potent - and for Democrats, frightening - rallying cries of Donald Trump's campaign.

But now it appears the mass chants of "Lock her up" were all for naught. Trump indicated in an interview with The New York Times that he would not push for further investigations into the Clinton Foundation or into Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server while she was US secretary of state.

There were two main reactions from the Trump faithful online: defensiveness and blistering anger.

"He's the establishment now," tweeted one user going by the name Jeff Deplorable. "I already feel betrayed by Trump."

"Hillary Clinton was part of this swamp in DC she must be prosecuted, don't go back on your word... drain the swamp!!" wrote another.

Image copyright @jimiluvsjazz/Twitter

But others defended their man.

Charlie Kirk, founder of the conservative Turning Point think tank, called Trump's statement the "right move".

"The worst prison Hillary will ever be in, is the fact she has to live with a loss she prepared 40 years for," he tweeted.

Meanwhile Trump opponents were crowing about the reversal.

Image copyright @shiningcity1776/Twitter Image caption Trump opponents gleefully listed areas where the president-elect has already backtracked or made a U-turn. Memes like this one featuring the alt-right mascot Pepe the frog were popular on Twitter

Image copyright @TheSpoonyOne/Twitter

The American president's ability to direct investigations or send people to prison is extremely limited, and some decried the fact that the "lock her up" discussion was even happening. Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau noted: "It is dangerous to let people think the President decides who gets prosecuted in our criminal justice system."

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Trump's turnabout from 'lock her up' to no prosecution

Blog by Mike Wendling

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