News

This Woman’s Snapshot With Hillary Clinton Went Viral — Then Came the Threats

By Sam Kestenbaum November 15, 2016

The New York mother who posted a heartwarming photo of herself taken with Hillary Clinton the day after the presidential election has been getting threats because of the photo.

Margot Gerster was hiking in Chappaqua on Wednesday when she apparently ran into Clinton and her husband Bill Clinton walking their dog on the same trail.

She told the New York Post that she had received threats as a result of the photo, although she didn’t specify whether they came by phone, mail or email.

“I don’t want to discuss this anymore,” Gerster said. “This story needs to go away. It got a lot of positive feedback from a lot of people, but … I don’t want to fuel the fire.”

While the original photo appears to have been serendipitous — one hiking family running into another — online critics noted that Gerster and Clinton had met before, striking up accusations of a planned photo, according to a local NBC station report.

Gerster denied that the photo was a set-up.

“If I were longtime friends with the Clintons, I wouldn’t be keeping that a secret. I’d be bragging about it to everyone I know,” Gerster told the Post.

Gerster has since deleted the photos of herself and Clinton from her Facebook page.

Email Sam Kestenbaum at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum

Sam Kestenbaum is a contributing editor and former staff writer for the Forward. Before this, he worked for The New York Times and newsrooms in Sana, Ramallah and Beijing. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter at @skestenbaum and on Instagram at @skestenbaum.

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