President Trump said Wednesday that the photo released by comedian Kathy Griffin of her holding Trump’s severed head has been hard on his children, and said Griffin “should be ashamed” for releasing it.
“Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!” Trump said on his Twitter account.
Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself. My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2017
Griffin, who was photographed by Tyler Shields, released the photo Tuesday. It was published on TMZ.
The photo earned Griffin swift backlash from many conservatives. One Fox Host, Todd Starnes, called out CNN and asked whether the cable channel would still keep Griffin as a host for its New Year’s Eve show with Anderson Cooper.
Hey @CNN – will Kathy Griffin be hosting your New Year’s Eve show again? Your advertisers would like to know. pic.twitter.com/ngzHbBcPhN
— toddstarnes (@toddstarnes) May 30, 2017
But the picture also drew backlash from several prominent Democrats. Chelsea Clinton called it “vile and wrong,” and Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., who said the image was “inappropriate.”
The Secret Service also said Tuesday it was going to look into the incident.
“We don’t have the luxury of knowing a person’s intent,” it said. “Each alleged or perceived threat has to be investigated thoroughly which taxes Secret Service manpower and resources that could be utilized elsewhere.”
Griffin later apologized for releasing the “disturbing” photo. But CNN said it was reassessing whether Griffin should remain as the cable channel’s host for its annual New Year’s Eve coverage.
