The White House escalated its clash with actor Mark Hamill on Thursday, accusing the "Star Wars" star of dangerous rhetoric after he posted an AI-generated image depicting President Donald Trump in a grave.
Hamill shared the image on Bluesky on Wednesday alongside a caption expressing hope that Trump would "live long enough to witness his inevitable devastating loss in the midterms, be held accountable for his unprecedented corruption, impeached, convicted & humiliated for his countless crimes." The post included a headstone bearing Trump's name and the years "1946-2024."
By Thursday afternoon, the post had been removed from Hamill's profile. The White House rapid response team did not wait long to strike back, posting on X that the post represented exactly the kind of language that "has inspired three assassination attempts in two years against our President." The statement called Hamill "one sick individual."
Hamill responded Thursday with a clarification, telling NBC News he was "wishing him the opposite of dead" and apologizing if the image appeared inappropriate. He suggested a revised version of his statement would have emphasized Trump living long enough to face accountability for what Hamill described as his crimes.
The confrontation comes roughly two weeks after a shooting outside the Washington Hilton during the White House Correspondents' Association dinner, where Trump was present. Cole Tomas Allen, a 31-year-old California teacher and engineer, was charged with attempting to assassinate the president. As of Monday, Allen had not entered a plea.
Trump has remained silent on Hamill's post. The actor has become one of the president's most persistent social media critics, regularly using his platform to challenge Trump and his policies.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Hamill's apology doesn't erase the timing or the image itself, and the White House's link between this post and actual assassination attempts feels like a calculated escalation in an already heated moment."
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