Photo: Emma McIntyre / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
The White House sharply criticized Star Wars actor Mark Hamill on Thursday (May 7) after he shared an AI-generated image on social media that appeared to show President Donald Trump in a grave. The post, made Wednesday (May 6) on Hamill’s Bluesky account, featured a headstone marked “Donald J. Trump 1946-2024” with the words “If Only” and a caption expressing Hamill’s wish for Trump to live long enough to face political defeat and legal consequences.
The White House’s rapid response team responded publicly on X, calling Hamill “one sick individual” and linking such rhetoric to three assassination attempts against President Trump in the past two years. The statement read, “This kind of rhetoric is exactly what has inspired three assassination attempts in two years against our President.”
The timing of Hamill’s post drew additional scrutiny as it followed a recent shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner in Washington, D.C., where President Trump and officials had gathered. The accused shooter, Cole Tomas Allen, faces federal charges for attempting to assassinate the president.
President Trump has not directly commented on the post.
Hamill deleted the controversial image by Thursday afternoon and issued a clarification in a new post, stating: “Actually, I was wishing him the opposite of dead, but apologize if you found the image inappropriate.” He added, “He should live long enough to… be held accountable for his… crimes."