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Former President Barack Obama is being subjected to an uptick in online death threats and calls for imprisonment after the Trump administration accused him of "treason" in connection with the 2016 election.
According to a report by the Global Project Against Hate and Extremism (GPAHE), social media comments calling for Obama's imprisonment or execution surged between July 17 and July 20 after the administration accused the former president and his officials of manipulating intelligence information regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election, per Newsweek. In a report released on Friday (July 18), Gabbard said the Obama administration allegedly plotted to manufacture Russian influence to "lay the groundwork for what was essentially a yearslong coup against President Trump."
On Sunday (July 20), Trump followed up on the claims by sharing an AI-generated video of Obama being arrested and put in jail.
Researchers found comments targeting Obama surged on Truth Social, Gab, and Telegram. On Truth Social, comments calling Obama treasonous and deserving of imprisonment or execution rose from three to 36, marking a 1,100 percent increase. Similar comments saw a 433 percent increase on Gab. On Telegram, these comments increased from zero to 12 between July 17 and July 20.
"GPAHE's research continues to show a spike in online bigoted and violent rhetoric whenever the president targets people with his online posts. The combination of Director Gabbard's and President Trump's conspiracy-laden and racist posts, not only inflamed extremists, but further normalized language and ideas that are completely unacceptable in a thriving democracy. We, as a nation, cannot contribute to this normalization by staying silent," the organization said in a statement.
Since the study, Trump has continued to attack Obama, urging the Justice Department to "go after" the former president, who he claimed was "guilty" of "treason."
"He's guilty. This was treason. This was every word you can think of. They tried to steal the election. They tried to obfuscate the election. They did things that nobody's ever even imagined."
In a statement, a spokesperson for Obama called the allegations against him "outrageous."
"Out of respect for the office of the presidency, our office does not normally dignify the constant nonsense and misinformation flowing out of this White House with a response. But these claims are outrageous enough to merit one. These bizarre allegations are ridiculous and a weak attempt at distraction," the statement said.
"Nothing in the document issued last week undercuts the widely accepted conclusion that Russia worked to influence the 2016 presidential election but did not successfully manipulate any votes. These findings were affirmed in a 2020 report by the bipartisan Senate Intelligence Committee, led by then-Chairman Marco Rubio."
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