The evolution of the term “witch hunt” from a physical act to a political metaphor is largely overlooked by modern audiences. As the hysteria of the witch trials fades into popular memory, certain associations live on. In the case of the witch hunt, the association of the term ‘witch hunt’ is women’s innocence. Thousands of innocent women were killed in the original witch trials. The metaphor calls back to this collective memory of innocence. In politics, the witch hunt metaphor is used as a rallying cry against an accuser. White male politicians use this metaphor as a claim of innocence against accusations of wrongdoing. Women, who experienced these instances of gendered history differently, do not use the witch hunt defense. Through careful analysis of social media rhetoric, I argue that powerful male politicians such as President Donald Trump appropriate specific historical instances of women’s pain for their own gain.