DONALD Trump supporters were gleefully celebrating his victory after the news broke yesterday, donning red “Make America Great Again†caps and chanting “Build the wall!†as they rampaged through the streets.
But his most hardcore fans — far-right Ku Klux Klan members, gun-toting militia and white supremacists — are panicking that he might not be the messiah they thought he was.
The President-elect struck a surprisingly conciliatory tone in his victory speech, congratulating the rival he’d dubbed “Crooked Hillary†and talking of working together with Americans of all races, religions beliefs.
His nationalist supporters were alarmed by this new version of the billionaire businessman, who has pandered to extremist views with his comments on mass deportation of 11 million unregistered migrants and a ban on accepting any immigrants who are Muslim or from conflict zones.
But it’s not likely Mr Trump will fully carry out such a threat, with the Republican now speaking in vaguer terms about “extreme vettingâ€.
His least palatable backers from racist, neo-Nazi organisations are reportedly “freaking outâ€, according to former Klansman David Duke, who encouraged other KKK members to be patient.
“Was it really necessary to thank her for her service?†asked Twitter user Herr Wolf. “Goes against his previous point about throwing her in jail.â€
Tate Sparkman tweeted: “Alright Trump hold up your end of the deal and #LockHerUp and #BuildTheWall !!!!!â€
Trump supporter Nicole Kinsey begged: “Praying you dont bail on #draintheswamp & #LockHerUp. That is why i dedicated months to sharing you message too.â€
Furious Democrats are discussing how they can fight Mr Trump’s policies and a concerned political class is debating whether he can be diverted from his most shocking plans.
His far-right fans are determined not to let this chance slip away.
A Reddit thread entitled “Vested Interests Are Already Talking About Trying to Moderate Trump. Dont let them†has appeared on subreddit The New Right.
“He’s our guy but we elected him to get certain things done and to that standard he must be held,†wrote one supporter.
Others were reassuring that Mr Trump had “responded to fears about softening his stances before†in “glorious†style.
“I f***ing hope so,†said a third. “He’s already removed the statement regarding blocking Muslims.â€
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham demanded the protesters stop trying to “divert narrative from Trump mandate.â€
Mr Trump may face pressure to water down his most outlandish threats, but he’ll also be feeling the heat from the other side to follow through with them.
We’d do well not to overlook their influence in the future.