Will There Be A Coup D'Etat In The US? Celebrities Request Electors To Vote Against Trump

Celebrities are teaming up to request Republicans in the Electoral College to vote against President-elect Donald Trump. The Electoral College — made up of 306 Republicans and 232 Democrats — will cast the ballot on Dec. 19.

Celebrities are pledging their “respect” for potential “heroes,” who can help in changing the Nov. 8 election results, where Trump earned much more than the bare minimum of 270. Celebrities are reportedly calling for 37 “conscientious Republican electors” to swing the Dec. 19 Electoral College vote away from Trump.

“Republican members of the Electoral College, this message is for you,” Martin Sheen, who played the president in the hit series “The West Wing,” said in a video. “As you know, our Founding Fathers built the Electoral College to safeguard the American people from the dangers of a demagogue and to ensure that the presidency only goes to someone who is to an ’eminent degree and down with the requisite qualifications.'”

Richard Schiff, who played the communications director in that show, said: “By voting your conscience, you and other brave Republican electors can give the House of Representatives the option to select a qualified candidate for the presidency.”

Other celebrities in the video said: “What is evident is that Donald Trump lacks more than the qualifications to be president. He lacks the necessary stability and clearly the respect for the Constitution of our great nation."

The video, released Thursday on YouTube by Unite for America, not only features Sheen and Schiff, but also Debra Messing, James Cromwell, BD Wong, Noah Wyle, Freda Payne, Bob Odenkirk, J. Smith Cameron, Michael Urie, Moby, Mike Farrell, Loretta Swit, Christine Lahti, Steven Pasquale, Dominic Fumusa and Emily Tyra.

Several protests erupted across the United States after Trump defeated Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton. Trump's win raised debates on social media about a coup d’etat. Social media users reportedly claimed that the FBI’s investigation into Clinton and the chain of emails among the Clinton Foundation staff may have been a part of a coup d’etat to swing the 2016 presidential election in favor of Trump.

Merriam-Webster defines coup d’etat as "a sudden decisive exercise of force in politics" especially "the violent overthrow or alteration of an existing government by a small group."