Rally chant demanding Hillary Clinton’s imprisonment over her email server became the 2016 Trump campaign’s most memorable slogan and a defining feature of his rallies, later applied to other political opponents.

Origins

The chant emerged at the July 2016 Republican National Convention during speeches attacking Clinton’s use of a private email server while Secretary of State. Delegates spontaneously began chanting “Lock her up! Lock her up!” during speeches by Chris Christie and Michael Flynn.

Trump initially didn’t lead the chant but allowed it at rallies, where it became a regular call-and-response moment. The phrase captured conservative anger over the FBI’s decision not to prosecute Clinton despite finding her “extremely careless” with classified information.

Campaign Centerpiece

“Lock her up” became as central to Trump rallies as “Build the wall.” Trump repeatedly suggested Clinton committed crimes deserving imprisonment, though he never specified which statutes she violated or what evidence warranted prosecution.

During the October 9, 2016 debate, Trump told Clinton: “If I win, I am going to instruct my attorney general to get a special prosecutor to look into your situation… because you’d be in jail.”

Post-Election Reversal

Days after winning, Trump told supporters he didn’t want to “hurt the Clintons” and wasn’t pursuing prosecution. This broke a campaign promise to his base but signaled recognition that presidential prosecution of political opponents crossed constitutional norms.

Authoritarian Concerns

Critics warned “Lock her up” represented authoritarian impulses—using presidential power to imprison political opponents without evidence of prosecutable crimes. Presidential candidates typically didn’t threaten opponents with imprisonment.

Defenders argued Clinton’s email practices warranted investigation and the chant expressed frustration with perceived double standards in justice system.

Expanded Targets

The chant was later directed at other Trump opponents including Nancy Pelosi, James Comey, and Anthony Fauci, becoming a general expression of anger toward Democratic figures.

References: RNC transcripts, rally videos, FBI statements on Clinton investigation, legal analysis, Politico, Washington Post