In the 2016 presidential election — and beyond — there was a phrase that was commonly chanted at campaign rallies held by Donald Trump.
That chant was “lock her up,” which continued long after the presidential race and into the midterm elections of 2018, as reporting from Vox noted. It was phrasing that was directed toward Trump’s 2016 Democratic foe Hillary Clinton, which was often criticized by observers for promoting the imprisonment of a political opponent.
Trump didn’t do much to quell the chanting, and at times seemed to relish in it.
On Wednesday evening, Democratic presidential contender Elizabeth Warren was confronted with a similar situation — but rather than allowing it to go on, Warrent took a different approach.
Warren held a campaign event in Carson City, Nevada, on Wednesday, and was confronted by a heckler during the procedings, who was shouting in favor of Trump. The crowd began a chant of “lock him up” in response to the heckling, but Warren motioned for her supporters to stop the chant, saying “No” several times while doing so, Newsweek reported.
Here’s video. The crowd booed the protester and then started shouting “Lock him up!” Warren could be seen motioning for the crowd to quiet down, trying to de-escalate. pic.twitter.com/eETf6rvBVz
— Amy B Wang (@amybwang) October 3, 2019
When the crowd calmed down, Warrent addressed their anger — as well as the apparent dismay Trump’s backers have with Democratic candidates.
“There’s a lot we need to do, and I understand that Donald Trump and his supporters are getting really nervous. And they have a good reason to be,” Warren said.
“We’re not here just to worry about Donald Trump. We’re here to talk about a positive vision for how we build an America that works for everybody,” she added.”
Warren also said that “everybody” included “Donald Trump supporters.”
The Massachusetts senator’s star has been rising in recent weeks within the Democratic Party as it tries to determine which of a handful of candidates is best suited to take on Trump in the 2020 presidential election.
In an Economist poll released earlier this week, Warren led Democratic-leaning voters to become the party’s nominee, with 26 percent saying she was their “first choice.” Joe Biden, who came in second place, was the “first choice” among 22 percent of respondents.