History professor who tweeted ‘Trump must hang' suspended by California State University

Lars Maischak on leave of absence after social media post sparks Twitterstorm

President Trump is no stranger to online controversy himself

A professor of American history who tweeted that US President Donald Trump “must hang” is on paid leave.

Lars Maischak, who teaches at California State University, Fresno, has taken a voluntary leave of absence for the remainder of the spring term.

Professor Maischak could not immediately be reached for comment.

Last week he apologised for tweeting: “To save American democracy, Trump must hang. The sooner and the higher, the better.”

Far-right websites such as Breitbart News highlighted the tweet, sparking angry calls on social media for the professor to be fired.

The university would not say if Professor Maischak would be back to teach in the autumn, saying it was continuing to review the case.

Associated Press