#Calexit: Trump Election Sparks Calls For California To Secede
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) – After it became clear that Donald Trump would defeat Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, those frustrated with the result suggested California should secede.
Californians and others talked about the Golden State leaving the United States with the hashtag #Calexit, a play on the similarly stunning Brexit vote that the United Kingdom took to leave the European Union earlier this year.
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On the campaign trail, Trump touted in the closing days of his campaign that his election would be "Brexit-plus-plus-plus" or "Brexit times 50."
#Calexit and another related hashtag, #Caleavefornia, were trending as of Wednesday morning.
We'll just take our avocados and legal weed and go#CalExit #CalifrEXIT
— lea? (@leaslame) November 9, 2016
For what it's worth, I've always considered myself a Californian, not an American. Would be interesting to see what we do. #Calexit
— ᵃˡᵉˣᵃⁿᵈᵉʳ (@Blvckedout) November 9, 2016
Seriously. What are the steps to make this possible??? We must secede!! #Calexit
— Perez (@ThePerezHilton) November 9, 2016
Voters in nearby Oregon and Washington, which also went for Clinton, pledged their support. Some even called for the entire west coast to secede.
Hey California, Oregon, and Washington, we can be our own country and I'm not even joking! #calexit #orexit #washexit
— Empress of Ice Cream (@SoniaGreenfield) November 9, 2016
Calls for #Calexit led to frustrated voters in other states to make similar calls to secede, using similar hashtags such as #NYExit and #Texit.
#Calexit Take us with you! #NYexit
— JJ Sullivan (@JSullivanIII) November 9, 2016
This would be very difficult, but how about #Texit ? We were our own country before???? https://t.co/tCF5oZ8NcO
— Hasan Ahmed (@Hasan_A45) November 9, 2016
In Silicon Valley, where Clinton enjoyed widespread support, venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar said he would financially back a campaign for California to become its own nation.
Meanwhile, others expressed their doubts of California becoming an independent country:
Remember when Texas wanted to secede and all the liberals were screaming about it? #CalExit ????
— Rogue French Fry (@TannersCarSick) November 9, 2016
The Yes California Independence Campaign planned to hold a meetup on the steps of the State Capitol in Sacramento on Wednesday, touting a measure for the 2018 ballot "that would call for a special election for Californians to vote for or against the independence of California from the United States."