News

How To Watch Trump Protests On Periscope

by Jessicah Lahitou

To say that Donald Trump's election night win was the greatest shock in American political history is not hyperbole. It was. There were no reputable pollsters who predicted it, and there were virtually no pundits who expected it. Trump was so exquisitely unsuited to the presidency in so many ways that it seemed impossible that enough American voters could overlook all of them. So it is no surprise that protests have erupted out of the Nov. 8 election. And for all the anti-Trumpers who cannot join in themselves, here's how you can watch anti-Trump protests live on Periscope.

Periscope allows smart phone users with its App to live-stream to all their followers. Since Periscope was purchased last year by Twitter, those already on the regular tweet beat can login that way. But Periscope is also available to anyone with internet access, whether on mobile or desktop.

Given how late the announcement of Trump's victory came in on Election Day, not to mention its shocking impact, the absence of protests in the immediate aftermath was understandable. But anti-Trump forces gathered quickly, taking to the streets in major cities across the country by nightfall on Nov. 9. Perhaps not surprisingly, the largest protests occurred in New York and Chicago, two deeply Democratic cities that are home to several Trump properties.

JOSH EDELSON/AFP/Getty Images

That thousands of Americans find protest necessary should not surprise anyone. Donald Trump built much of his campaign using rhetoric that was intentionally inflammatory. And while many of his rally-goers seemed to enjoy his coarse, at times bigoted and cruel, rhetoric, millions of their fellow citizens were also listening.

The list of Trump targets is long. He opened his campaign by announcing that Mexicans were "rapists" and "criminals." From there, he proceeded to disparage women in misogynistic terms, from blaming Megyn Kelly's period to mocking Carly Fiorina's appearance. Later, more women would come forward with claims of sexual assault. Video surfaced with Trump bragging about his ability as a "star" to sexually assault whomever he chose. He also seems to have intentionally walked in on teenaged girls while they were changing for his pageants.

Trump claimed that Judge Curiel, who is overseeing a fraud case brought against the now-defunct Trump University, could not be fair. The reason? Judge Curiel's "Mexican heritage," despite the fact that he was born in Indiana. Paul Ryan, a fellow Republican, came forward to denounce this statement "textbook racism."

The list goes on. Over the course of the campaign, The New York Times has been updating its compilation of those insulted via Trump's twitter account. The current count stands at a whopping 282.

In light of Trump's behavior, anti-Trump protests are to be expected. What would be strange is if they didn't happen at all. So if you can't make it in person, turn to Periscope to catch the action.