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#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.

Voters in nearby Oregon and Washington, which also went for Clinton, pledged their support. Some even called for the entire west coast to secede.

Calls for #Calexit led to frustrated voters in other states to make similar calls to secede, using similar hashtags such as #NYExit and #Texit.

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:

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."

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