Reports of swastika graffiti and racial slurs in schools have risen in the US since Donald Trump won Tuesday's election. The national suicide hotline also reportedly saw a 140 percent increase in calls on election night.
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In the two days following Republican Donald Trump's presidential win against Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, rights organizations and social media users noted a startling rise in reports of racially-driven hate crimes across the US.
At a coffee shop in Lubbock, Texas on Thursday, a man "verbally assaulted" a family described to be of Middle Eastern descent, a witness at the scene told DW.
The man, who was wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat, told the family of three that Trump was going to build a wall and "kick them out," said Jackson Vaughn, who witnessed the event. The man was reportedly escorted out of the coffee shop by staff members who then spoke with the family.
Others on social media have reported similar encounters in the short amount of time since Tuesday's vote.
New York University's Muslim Students Association posted a picture on Wednesday, saying that engineering undergraduates found the word "Trump" scrawled across the door to their prayer room.
Vandals also reportedly burned two gay pride flags in Rochester, New York while they were still attached to houses.
Nazi slogans and symbols
On Wednesday morning, swastikas accompanied by the phrase "Sieg Heil 2016" appeared on the glass storefront of a south Philadelphia shop. Philadelphia police are searching for a male subject who they believe spray-painted the swastikas.
The Anti Defamation League, an international US-based Jewish group, has decried the vandalism, which occurred on the 78th anniversary of the anti-Semitic "Night of Broken Glass" pogrom in Germany.
Another large swastika appeared in Wellsville, New York on the side of a softball dugout on Wednesday. The graffiti read: "Make America White Again."
The Wellsville Daily Reporter said the police were investigating, but that no one had yet officially complained.
"We'll take a look at it, we might do a log entry. Unless somebody makes a complaint, we don't have any cause for action," local Police Chief Tim O'Grady was reported as saying.
Cafeteria chants and bathroom graffiti
An alarming number of hate crime reports and stories have come from the nation's middle and high schools.
At a high school in Center Valley, Pennsylvania, students shouted gay slurs at fellow classmates, called black students "cotton pickers" and used heil Hitler salutes, according to a letter sent to parents by the school's principal. Several other schools in the nation alerted parents to bathroom graffiti containing swastikas, white-power slogans, and racial slurs against African Americans.
Preteens formed a human wall at a middle school in DeWitt, Michigan to block Hispanic students from their lockers and classrooms, school officials confirmed. Reportedly white, male students at a separate middle school in Michigan chanted "build the wall" at a cafeteria during lunchtime.
Rise in hotline calls
As early as the election night, a worrisome trend arose in the number of people seeking mental health support. The US National Suicide Prevention Lifeline noted a 30 percent rise in calls the night before the election as people became anxious about the results of the vote.
Dr. John Draper with the suicide help line said that on the night of the election, "as the evening wore on, into the overnight, we saw actually a doubling of calls ... about a 140-per cent increase."
The only time a similar call volume was noted by the center occurred when actor Robin Williams committed suicide in 2014.
"This has been a tough election cycle for many people. It's well documented," he said."There's been a lot of fear and anxiety on both sides of the aisle," Draper said.
The startling accounts of hate speech-vandalism and verbal attacks against LGBTQ people, Muslims, Hispanics, Asians and African-Americans come at a time when many wonder what Trumps presidency will mean for minorities. During his campaign, he pledged to deport millions of undocumented Mexican immigrants as well as impose a travel ban on Muslims.
Although Trump sought a conciliatory tone during his acceptance speech by promising to serve all Americans, critics have often expressed concern that his inflammatory campaign rhetoric could encourage intolerance and even violence.
Trump: Mogul, populist, president
Already a real estate magnate, best-selling author and reality TV star, Donald Trump is about to become the 45th US president. Often regarded as an outlandish, comic figure, Trump will soon move into the White House.
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The family, the empire
Surrounded by the ones he loves, Donald Trump with his wife, Melania, daughters Ivanka and Tiffany, his sons Eric and Donald, Jr., and grandchildren Kai and Donald John III. His three eldest children are senior vice presidents in the Trump organization.
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From millionaire to billionaire
This picture from 1984 shows Trump opening Harrah's at Trump Plaza, a casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey. It's one of the investments that helped turn Trump, already a millionaire thanks to cash from his father, into a billionaire.
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Off to a good start
Trump inherited the money he used to launch his real estate empire from his father, Frederick. He gave his son a million dollars to start and then, upon his death, left Donald and his three siblings $400 million.
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What's in a name? Billions.
Donald Trump aggressively invested the money and experienced the market's highs and lows. Long-term success came thanks to Trump Tower in New York City. Trump has said he's worth some $10 billion, but he has not released financial information to prove the claim. Experts estimate he's worth about a third of that.
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"Very good, very smart"
That's what Trump had to say about himself. He studied at the renowned Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with a bachelor's degree.
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Captain Trump
Before college, Trump was sent to a military academy at the age of 13 to learn discipline. By the time he graduated, he had earned an officer's rank at the academy. During his campaign for president, he said he enjoyed the school's structure and military culture.
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Heel spurs instead of Vietnam
Despite the military education, Trump did not serve in the Vietnam War. He received four deferments while studying and a fifth for bone spurs in his heels. Trump will be the first US president to enter the White House without having previously served in a public office or the military.
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Wife number one: Ivana
In 1977, Trump married Ivana Zelnuickova of what was then Czechoslovakia. The pair had three children together, Donald John, Jr., Ivanka Marie and Eric Fredrick. The marriage, however, was plagued with rumors of extra-marital affairs and ended in 1990. Ivana was the one who created Trump's nickname "The Donald."
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Family number two
Trump later married his second wife, Marla Maples. Maples gave birth to their daughter Tiffany in 1993.
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Girls, girls, girls
Trump seemed to enjoy being photographed with women other than his wife by his side. He often visited beauty pageants and posed with young models. From 1996 to 2015, he owned part of all the Miss Universe pageants. Trump would later come under fire for an audio recording of him saying his fame allowed him to grope women without fearing consequences.
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The Art of the Deal
How do you make a quick million? Trump's best-seller "The Art of the Deal," which was part autobiography, part instruction manual for ambitious businessmen, tried to show readers the way. Already well-known, the book solidified Trump's spot in the public spotlight.
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Mixing business and entertainment
Like no other, Trump knew how to grab the public's attention, as seen here in a show for "World Wrestling Entertainment." His unique blend of business and entertainment acumen met in the reality TV show "The Apprentice" where candidates were hired and fired. Trump's favorite line from the show: "You're fired!"
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Trump's move into politics
Though he had previously had very little contact with governing or politics, Trump announced his presidential candidacy on July 16, 2015. He used "Make America Great Again" as a political slogan and during his election campaign insulted immigrants, Muslims, women and everyone running against him.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Lane
Off to Washington
Whether the showman morphs into a statesman will be seen over Trump's four years in the White House. Views are split as he prepares to take office. But if his life so far is anything to go by, there is no telling what will be next.