Trump’s Call to Imprison Hillary Clinton Was More Than a Year in the Making

How a T-shirt slogan became a campaign talking point.

Patrick Fallon/ZUMA Press

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.


At Sunday’s presidential debate, Donald Trump promised to prosecute and imprison his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, if he wins the November election. Trump’s comments, which are unprecedented in the history of American presidential campaigns, was quickly denounced by liberals and some conservatives. Republican strategist Stuart Stevens tweeted that the only other politician he’d seen make such a threat “was later convicted of war crimes.”

But Trump’s position, while shocking, was not new. It has been a core plank of his platform since last winter, and a fantasy of many of his supporters for far longer. Here’s a brief history of an authoritarian fever dream that’s moved from the conspiratorial fringe to the center stage of a presidential debate.

Related: How Donald Trump became America’s conspiracy theorist in chief

2015

September: Infowars debuts its “Hillary for Prison” T-shirt. “I’m proud of it,” says Alex Jones.

December: Donald Trump tweets an image of a supporter in a “Hillary for Prison” T-shirt.

2016

June 2: Trump tells a rally in San Jose, California, “Hillary Clinton has to go to jail. She has to go to jail…She’s guilty as hell.”

June 11: An electronic road sign on Interstate 30 outside Dallas is hacked to read “Hillary for Prison.”

July 16: A plane pulling an Infowars-branded “Hillary for Prison” banner flies over Cleveland.

July 18: Colorado Senate candidate Darryl Glenn tells the Republican National Convention, “We know [Clinton] enjoys her pantsuits, but…what she deserves is a bright orange jumpsuit.” Retired Lt. General Michael Flynn urges on the chanting crowd: “Lock her up, that’s right. Yep, that’s right: Lock her up!”

July 19: In his RNC speech, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie puts Clinton on trial. As the crowd shouts, “Lock her up!” he responds, “We’ll get there.”

July 20: “‘Lock her up.’ I love that,” Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi quips during her RNC speech. Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker tells attendees, “Hillary Clinton is the ultimate liberal Washington insider. If she were any more on the inside, she’d be in prison.” Google searches for “Hillary for Prison” peak.

“Hillary Jail Stripes” T-shirt: Now for sale on Trump’s campaign website Trump website

July 30: At a town parade in Iowa, children throw water balloons at a “Hillary for Prison” float while a man in a Hillary mask and an orange jumpsuit dances inside a cage.

Early August: Conservative media buzzes with the story of a Mississippi boy who wore a “Hillary for Prison” T-shirt to provoke his liberal teacher.

September: Trump’s campaign website sells “Hillary for Prison” pins—three for $6. The “Hillary Jail Stripes” T-shirt is $20.

October 9: At the second presidential debate, Trump tells Clinton that if he’s elected, he will appoint a special prosecutor and “you would be in jail.”

Fact:

Mother Jones was founded as a nonprofit in 1976 because we knew corporations and billionaires wouldn't fund the type of hard-hitting journalism we set out to do.

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

Fact:

Today, reader support makes up about two-thirds of our budget, allows us to dig deep on stories that matter, and lets us keep our reporting free for everyone. If you value what you get from Mother Jones, please join us with a tax-deductible donation today so we can keep on doing the type of journalism 2022 demands.

payment methods

We Recommend

Latest

Sign up for our free newsletter

Subscribe to the Mother Jones Daily to have our top stories delivered directly to your inbox.

Get our award-winning magazine

Save big on a full year of investigations, ideas, and insights.

Subscribe

Support our journalism

Help Mother Jones' reporters dig deep with a tax-deductible donation.

Donate