The_Donald
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About
/r/The_Donald was a subreddit on the website Reddit for supporters of United States president-elect Donald Trump. Members of the online community often refer to themselves as "centipedes" and have been associated with the loose conservative group known as the "alt-right". Following the ban of the subreddit on June 29th, 2020, a standalone website bearing the name was launched, accommodating the subreddit's former audience.
History
On June 16th, 2015, Trump formally announced his bid for the Republican primaries in the upcoming 2016 U.S. presidential election. On June 27th, the /r/The_Donald[1] subreddit was launched for supporters of Trump's candidacy. During the month of February 2016, /r/The_Donald became a trending subreddit four separate times, leading to an exponential increase in subscribers.[7]
News Media Coverage
The subreddit has been widely covered by a variety of major news media outlets, including The New York Times,[8] MSNBC[9] and The Washington Post.[10]
Controversies
Islamophobia
While the subreddit has a rule against racism/anti-Semitism, posts and comments expressing "Islamophobia" are not restricted. On February 10th, 2016, a /r/The_Donald moderator stickied a post announcing to "stop reporting Islamophobia" (shown below).[6]
![Jesus Christ people, stop reporting Islamophobia. We don't f------ care about our "Islamophobia problem" AT ALL! (self. The Donald) submitted 9 months ago (last edited 9 months ago) by [deleted] I repeat: "We do not f------ care about islamophobia." I cringe every time I see "Not all muslims/refugees are like that" in a report. Of course they're not all like that. Nobody says they are. Hell, I'll even one up you by saying that some people who join ISIS are probably only even in it for the sweet ninja costume and don't want to kill anybody. Doesn't matter. We're gonna bomb the s--- out of them. For f---'s sake, act like an adult. If someone claims that some muslims are terrorists then ask for a source. When they can't give you any news articles proving acts of terror done by muslims, then you get to win! If they have a source, then concede your point like an adult. three. We don't care about this trivial b-------. You're all adults and can deal with this s--- on your own. They're are damn lucky that the report button is anonymous or else I'd ban them for abusing it. However, if you do something stupid to let us know you reported someone for this type of s---, then we're gonna ban you because Cruz's supporters are the p------, not Trumps. Edit: Brigade all you want p------!! Mod policy is not a f------ democracy.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/194/968/717.jpg "Islamophobia Post")
Front Page
On June 13th, 2016, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman announced[5] that the company was making changes to its front page algorithm to promote a more diverse array of posts from a variety of subreddits, following accusations that the company had prevented /r/The_Donald posts regarding the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting from reaching the front page. On June 16th, Huffman posted a follow-up announcement, claiming that any changes to the front page algorithm were not intended to target /r/The_Donald posts. On October 27th, the front page of Reddit's /r/all view became entirely populated with posts from /r/The_Donald (shown below). The following day, Reddit admins revealed that the site's algorithms could not keep up with the pace of voting from /r/The_Donald users.[4]
Nimble America
On September 17th, 2016, moderator TehDonald of the /r/the_donald[3] subreddit submitted a post promoting the pro-Trump non-profit organization Nimble America, remarking that the community had “proven that shitposting is powerful and meme magic is real.” Meanwhile, Redditor NimbleRichMan submitted a /r/the_donald[8] post asking for help defeating Hillary Clinton by donating to Nimble America. In the comments section, Milo Yiannopoulos replied with an endorsement of /u/NimbleRichMan, claiming he knew him personally. A majority of the subreddit’s community denounced Nimble America, with many speculating that it was a scam and form of "astroturfing."
Spezgate
On November 23rd, 2016, Redditor OhSnapYouGotServed submitted a thread accusing Reddit admins of editing /r/The_Donald user's comments, providing screenshots of insulting comments directed at Huffman, which had been changed to insult /r/The_Donald moderators.[2] Within four days, the post gathered upwards of 32,900 votes (60% upvoted) and 7,100 comments. That day, Huffman replied to the post, admitting that he had replaced his name with /r/The_Donald moderators in several insulting comments after he grew frustrated "getting called a pedophile constantly" following the removal of the /r/pizzagate subreddit (shown below).[11]
![[-] TWO BENT KNEES [A]-248 points 4 days ago" (last edited 4 days ago) @) x67 Hey Everyone, Yep. I messed with the "f--- u/spezll"comments, replacing "spez" with r/the_donald 12] mods for about an hour. It's been a long week here trying to unwind the r/pizzagatel3] stuff. As much as we try to maintain a good relationship with you all, it does get old getting called a p-------- constantly. As the CEO, I shouldn't play such games, and it's all fixed now. Our community team is pretty p----- at me, so I most assuredly won't do this again. F--- u/spez[4]](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/194/976/adf.jpg "Steve Huffman's Post")
That same day, Reddit /r/Music and /r/Food moderator UnimatrixZeroOne leaked screenshots of a private chatroom for moderators and administrations, . The following day, the news site Inquir.io[3] published an interview with UnimatrixZeroOne about the leak, in which he expressed regret for not censoring the chat log.
Moderator Bans
On May 18th, 2017, /r/The_Donald moderator OhSnapYouGotServed posted an announcement that the Reddit staff were "trying to kill" the subreddit, urging subscribers to not perform any behaviors that could be considered rule breaking and accusing the admins of having bias against the /r/The_Donald community.[13] Meanwhile, Redditor JelloDarkness submitted a post asking "What's up with /r/the_donald 'leaving Reddit'?" to /r/OutOfTheLoop,[15] where it gathered upwards of 14,200 points (82% upvoted) and 970 comments within 48 hours. The following day, OhSnapYouGotServed was banned for 72 hours "enabling harassment of other users and interference with other communities."[14]
![MESSAGE send a private message inbox sent moderator mail Your account has been suspended from Reddit for 3 days all I unread | messages | comment replies | post replies username mentions /reddit.com Important notification about your account expand all collapse all -lsubreddit message via /r/reddit.com [A] sent 3 minutes ago Your account has been suspended from Reddit for enabling harassment of other users and interference with other communities. The suspension will last for 3 day (s) Be sure to read up on the Reddit content policy to make sure you understand the rules for participating on Reddit If you believe your account has been suspended in error, you can contact us by replying to this message. permalink delete repert block subreddit mark unread reply](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/newsfeed/001/256/984/84b.jpg "OhSnap's Suspension Message")
On May 20th, /r/The_Donald moderator shadowman3001 submitted a post titled "First universities. Then the internet. Then they imprison you for your speech," revealing that the /r/The_Donald mods OhSnapYouGotServed, JesusWoreNikeSlides and Henry had been removed as moderators by Reddit administrators.[16] Shortly after, the subreddit was made private by the remaining moderators, who left a notice on the page informing viewers that they had "temporarily gone dark in a show of strength against these unfair restrictions.
Meanwhile, a megathread about /r/the_donald was submitted to /r/OutOfTheLoop[17] by moderator awkwardtheturtle, which garnered upwards of 13,200 points (73% upvoted) and 3,100 comments within 13 hours. At approximately 1:30pm EST that day, /r/The_Donald was made public after being closed for 12 hours. In a stickied post on the subreddit, moderator Treteste announced that the remaining moderator team would not be deterred from losing their top three moderators.[12]
2019 Quarantine and 2020 Ban
On June 24th, 2019, the progressive news site Media Matters[20] published an article titled "A pro-Trump subreddit is full of calls for violence in support of Oregon Republicans," which
cited several posts made on the subreddit, including users who stated they would have “no problems shooting a cop trying to strip rights from Citizens" and that "rifles are the only way we're going to get any peace in our lives ever again."
Two days later, Redditor shadowman3001[18] posted a note to /r/The_Donald moderators from Reddit administrators, stating the community had been quarantined for “behavior in the form of encouragement of violence towards police officers and public officials in Oregon.” As part of being quarantined, users are shown a warning page requiring them to opt-in to view any content on the feed and posts on the subreddit are not shown in non-subscription-based feeds on the site.[21]
That day, The Daily Beast[19] published an article titled "Reddit ‘Quarantines’ Pro-Trump Subreddit Over Anti-Police Threats," which included a statement from a Reddit spokesperson about the incident:
"Recent behaviors including threats against the police and public figures is content that is prohibited by our violence policy. As a result, we have actioned individual users and quarantined the subreddit."
On June 29th, 2020, /r/The_donald was banned. In the following days, the website The Donald,[22] largely copying the design of the subreddit, was launched, accommodating its former audience.
Traffic
Within 17 months of launch, the subreddit gained over 306,000 subscribers. During the month of November 2016, the subreddit received over 4.3 million unique visitors and 92 million pageviews.
Search Interest
External References
[1] Reddit – /r/The_Donald
[2] Reddit – The Admins are suffering from low energy
[3] Inquir.io (via Wayback Machine) – Interview with Reddit Moderator That Leaked CEOs Collusion and Bias
[4] Reddit – /r/shittychangelog
[5] Reddit – Lets talk about Orlando
[6] Reddit – Jesus Christ people stop reporting Islamophobia
[7] Motherboard – How r/the_donald Became a Melting Pot of Frustration and Hate
[8] The New York Times – Donald Trump Finds Support in Reddits Unruly Corners
[9] MSNBC – How an army of pro-Donald Trump trolls are taking over Reddit
[10] The Washington Post – Trumps meme brigade took over Reddit
[11] Reddit – spez comment
[12] Reddit – The Future of /r/The_Donald
[13] Reddit (via Wayback Machine) – Announcement
[14] Reddit (via Wayback Machine) – OhSnapHas Been Suspended
[15] Reddit – What's up with /r/the_donald leaving Reddit
[16] WebArchive – First universites then the internet
[17] Reddit – /r/the_donald has gone private
[18] Reddit – /r/The_Donald
[19] The Daily Beast – Reddit Quarantines Pro-Trump Subreddit Over Anti-Police Threats
[20] Media Matters – A pro-Trump subreddit is full of calls for violence in support of Oregon Republicans
[21] Reddit – Quarantined Subreddits
![MYSUBREDDITS ▼ HOME POPULAA ALL RANDOM MOD USERS ; ASK REDDIT pg11T1CS WORLDNEVVS FUNNY TODAYILEARNED PICS GAMING MOVIES NE NT OF Facoboo the donald COMMENTS OTHER DISCUSSIONS (5) JITTERdUdE (10,314) search This is the guy who calls you racist on reddit (magaimg.net) submitted 17 hours ago by AfricanEnricher 10.9k sorted by: best you are viewing a single comment's thread 689 comments share save hide give award deport crosspost view the rest of the comments - BrandNew7th A No Steppy 412 points 17 hours ago Kek permalink embed save parent deport give award reply [-] dev_blockchain ai 280 points 14 hours ago Lovely how all our grandfathers (mine included) fought and died killing millions of europeans so we could end up with refugee flooded nations where trash and filth like this rule over us to the point where we can't publicly hold our opinions Feels good. They died for the right cause I'm sure. (one of my grandfathers last words a few years ago he said he wouldn't have fought if he knew it ended up like this). He called communism and Islam the true evil. Said he felt horrible for destroying such a good people (Germans) permalink embed save parent deport give award replied 703,474 Pa 15,502 winners o this post was submitted o 10,896 points (e hortink httpsJfredd.it/aix SUBMIT A - JITTERdUdE 1 point just now A post that's blatantly pro-Nazi is sitting at more than 200 upvotes on this sub. Cool, just don't throw a tantrum the next time you guys get called fascists okay? T SUBMIT A TEX reddit pr Got an ad-free experionce w](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/452/925/17d.jpg "Nazi sympathizer Trump supporters")
![The_Donald's Handy Checklist For Mass Casualty Events -1 DankoJones841776 M H 47 points Let's not jump conclu- aaand it's muslims permalink embed save deport give gold reply -] crobbies MH 7 points Wasnt some antifa group just busted for having explosives? Could this be practice runs by far left, who are known to favor bombs? -] Michael_A_Trivisonno The only people that engage in this sort of garbage are commies and jihadis So, check the local mosque as well as the local FBl office mmediately declare that the perpetrator is liberal / antifa I muslim H just-an-idea-1 M HJ 19 points This has lefist Antifa written all over it. FL M H 48 points parent re Complain about how the perpetrator's identity hasn't been released yet, and repeatedly say "Coulter's Law" -] krickeydonutsDTOM MH 22 points FL SHOOTING: ANN COULTER LAW IS IN EFFECT submitted 1 month ago by pdotuts MH 1 comment share save hide give gold deport parent give gold reply Perpetrator is revealed to be a white male VldMAGANRAVikki 12h I-] GeneticsGuy M H 3 points 1 month ago It is real... read head. His social media is showing he is an Antifa cocksucker too Registerd Democrat #MarkAnthonyC°ndítt #Acti neombings #Austin Bomber NICHOLAS CRUZ About Mark Conditt Edit Info Share photoshopped voting records social media pages that show the perpetrator is liberal Jim Hoft Follow BREAKING: Don't Let The MAGA Hat Fool You, Hispanic Shooter "Nicolas de Jesus Cruz" Was A Registered TheDemocrats I-1 typeOnullTOM M H 13 points 1 mon Birthday. 06/16/1994 Income: $20 $29,999 Current Net Worth: $1 $4,999 Political Affiliation: Democrat Party He was confirmed antifa Ethnicity: Caucasian permalink embed save deport give gold reply Funny how they have ALL been DEMOCRATS #MarkAnthonyConditt twitter.com/kaivanshr "I view myself as a conservative" Perpetrator is revealed to be conservative / right- wing extremist. Hates immigrants and gays. "jews, ni**ers, immigrants killing Mexicans, keeping black people in chains and cutting their necks" Why gay marriage should be illegal An argument for the Death Penalty Ernest B (Ben) Trew @ebtrew 3h Austin bomber was an unemployed 20-something whole episode smells of False Flag Scenario Was the Parkland shooting a false flag Declare event a false flag, tell others to stop politicizing tragedies repeatedly mention Bernie attacker [-] MakeCAGreatAgain .쑈 CA MIH 82 points Austin Bomber, Mark Anthony Conditt, 24-year-old white male Here we gooooo000000000 nauseam onslaught incoming (unless he turns out to be a lefty.redd.it) ames Hodgkinson multiple senators at ame permalink embed save deport give gold reply 161 Mental gymnastics (imgur.com) [-] b_resh 8 points 1 day ago But muh narrative?! Say something about "the narrative". Accuse others of cognitive dissonance and mental gymnastics Ad hominem projection at its finest iredd.it) gold The cognitive dissonance is deafening -1 CupcakeDoll85 MH3 points 17 days ago Where is HIS blue check verification? Oh right, the narrative permalink embed save deport give gold reply submitted 1 day ago by TendiesUSA M successfully navigated this mass casualtv event.](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/353/929/32d.png "The_Donald's Handy Checklist for Mass Casualty Events")
![AS Older lady-pede here. A year ago, I browsed reddit houseplant and recipe subs. Thanks to you I voted and am now browsing 4chan wanting to learn how to play self.The Donald 1 month ago by https://archive.fo/25UFb - DonnaGailMAGA 581 points 1 month ago I'm an older Lady Centipede too. I tried 4chan but it is too confusing for me. embed deport H gilroyvangire』& CA [S] 576 ports 1 month ago Just keep lurking and build up your confidence. My teenager is my IT department but sometimes I'm embarrassed to ask for help. The other day, I felt like an expert when I told an even older friend that those pictures with words are called memes. permalink embed parent deport 个 MAGA 323 points 1 month ago That's funny (telling your older friend about memes) parmalink embed parent depont H Thelonius-Trump USA 383 points 1 month ago We have the cutest comments folks, believe me permalink embed parent deport H FrankBlack2000 , KEK 238 points 1 month ago I'm fity and it took me a while to 'ger the meme thing myself. I have since red-pilled my 75yo Pops on them. Kekistan was a more difficult challenge but Im getting there-) permalink embed parent deport H DonnaGail , MAGA 204 points 1 month ago I'm 49. It is always nice to meet a fellow Kekistani! permalink embed parent deport 167 points 3g0 I'm shortly 46; I've shocked my 20 something kids by participating here and lurking on pol. I taught my parents how to spread the memes I send them on social media and through their email chains. Red pilling the older generations is fun! Now my parents also lurk here and on /pol and my inlaws ask me what the latest from the board's is when I go for coffee in the morning. We may not be as nimble as the younger Kekistani's but we are permalink embed parent deport H anhero23 102 points 1 month ag Ask away If you have questions about 4chan. Also, I don't know everything but if you duckduckgo 4chan tutorial", I'm sure you can find some great resources:) permalink embed parent deport month ago Thanks permalinkembed parent deport Go to 4chan. Select politically incorrect (ie /pol/). Hit catalog above the stickied rules. Hit search. Type ptg. I would suggested "lurking, watching and reading as the thread progresses. Absorb the culture on the board for at while before trying to post. And never tell anyone you're a lady unless you're ready for the t--- or gtfo meme. permalink embed parent deport 소 H Ozark-Patriot L 1776 34 points 1 month ago My 70-year old hillbilly uncle who's never owned a computer heard about 4chan on the Alex Jones show. So what does he do? He drags me to the library to show him how to use a computer and mmediately demands to know how to get on "the 4chan", I told him it wasn't a good idea, but he Insisted. You shouldve seen the look on his face. Now he talks in memes. He says "Top Kek and points out ugly women to me and says "that's a trap!". He goes to the library every tuesday moming and spends his entire 30 minute session browsing 4chan. He still doesnt understand most of the culture but he's slowly making progress. permalink embed parent deport I am a 65 year old guy. I started here about a year ago and lurk on both 4 and 8 chan. I told my 32 yo son about the chans. His comment was holy f--- dad that's the darkest place on the intemet. Told him to grow the f--- up. He changed the subject lol permalink embed parent deport H NewButNotReally MAGA 55 ponts 1 month ago Older ladypede here, tooI browse 4chan all the time lol just a lurker, though permalink embed parent deport High Five fellow Lady Elder-Pedetook me a couple of months of lurking around here before I was brave enough to even comment. But once l did, the warm reception I received made me feel right at home and I haven't left. I, ike you, still haven't quite figured out 4chan, though. Maybe thatil be my next permalink embed parent deport MO month ago Older lady pede here too. I find 4-chan confusing as well. PS. I would love to play Chicago Police Scanner Bingo for spelling permalink embed parent deport -1 MythAreana 9 points 1 month ago If you have Android, grab Mimi on Google Play. Then just enter /pol to subscribe, it's just that easy permalink embed parent depont WA 138 points 1 month ago This older ladypede also loves recipes and gardening but my Twitter avatar is a Pepe and I love triggering permalink embed deport 34 ponts 1 month ago H biscuit wheels kek 소 permalink embed parent deport H 42ne KEK 76 ports 1 month ago View 4chan in catalog mode, much easier to read permalink embed deport -1 baby_corn is_corn1776 29 points 1 month ago AMA Question: Which 4chan boards have you visited? I would freaking die a gruesome bloody death if I caught my grandmother lurking in a REKT thread. permalink mbed deport ↑ H gilroyvampire』& CA同24 points 1 month ago Lol only browsing the politically incorrect sub. I don't have any interest beyond that and I imagine anything else prob has viruses or child p---. I'm happy with my politics, my recipes, my houseplants and my family permalink embed parent deport H The Great Donald 11 points 1 month ago Idon't know about every single board, but I think that if you stay away from bv you should be fine, and giti if you dont want rekt threads (where ppl often get seriously hurt or killed) permalink embed parent deport -1 Delusional17 18 points 1 month ago So ca ladypede here also on 4chan!!! permalink embed deport -H pyrorozePOL10 points 1 month ag I am a geezer-pede-lady (54) who posts on here, AND hangs out on 4chan & 8chan. Shhhh, don't tell them. mbed deport CT 3 points 1 month ago 10-4 Robert, we're happy to have you in cpd/. There will be many comfy nights ahead Hl TrumpedUpPatriotAUS 4 points 1 month ago W-- I had no idea people were so woke. I'm going to have to up my game! KEK 5points 1 month ago What is this awesome bingo you speak or?? KEK I'd love to play if true 个 Hailroyvampire-CA Isl 2 points 1 month ago permalink parent deport 1-1 month agp You got me to finally figure out how to use 4chan. PEDE POWER!](https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/list/001/343/076/b8c.png "PEDE POWER")
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