President Donald Trump has responded to Kathy Griffin’s controversial photo shoot that featured Griffin holding a prop version of Trump’s decapitated head, and which sparked bipartisan outrage.
Trump took to Twitter Wednesday morning to condemn the shoot, calling it “sick” and noting how disturbing it was for his children to see it. He cited his youngest child, 11-year-old Barron, as having had a particularly difficult time with Griffin’s photo shoot.
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
Provocateur photographer Tyler Shields shot Griffin holding a bloody and fake Trump head, which first appeared online Tuesday. Griffin originally captioned the photo “there was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his…wherever” and said that she was “merely mocking the Mocker in Chief.” Many on both sides of the political spectrum felt that she crossed a line, including Trump’s eldest child, Donald Trump Jr.
CNN, where Griffin is a co-host of its annual New Year’s Eve programming, also condemned the photo shoot, stating that “We found what she did disgusting and offensive.”
Disgusting but not surprising. This is the left today. They consider this acceptable. Imagine a conservative did this to Obama as POTUS? https://t.co/QdghcbIjS7
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 30, 2017
This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president. https://t.co/zIiuKoMyFw
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) May 30, 2017
A few hours later, Griffin took down the photos and asked Shields to take down the video. She posted a video apologizing for crossing the line with the photo shoot.
https://twitter.com/kathygriffin/status/869703678550171648
“I crossed the line,” she said. “I moved the line, and then I crossed it. I went way too far.”
According to Shields, Griffin was worried about the potential reaction of the shoot, stating that she might be put in jail for the photos.
“[F]ortunately, we have freedom of speech [with the first amendment] and all art is generally protected by these things, but again, this was her first thought, ‘Will you bail me out of jail?’” Shields told Entertainment Weekly on Tuesday before the photographs and video were taken down. “You know, again, it wasn’t, ‘I don’t want to do this because I might go to jail.’ It was like, “Well, I’m gonna do it and whatever happens, happens.”
https://twitter.com/tylershields/status/868290625975623680
Trump’s response went up hours after Griffin apologized, making his disgust for Griffin’s shoot known. However, at least one person didn’t believe her apology was sincere.
The #kathygriffin phony apology would be a lot easier to believe if there wasn't a video of her mocking the response she knew was coming.
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) May 31, 2017
According to a new report from TMZ, the Secret Service is investigating “the circumstances surrounding the photo shoot.” In a statement released Tuesday, the Secret Service alluded that it investigated every “alleged or perceived threat.”
“The U.S. Secret Service has a critical mission. It is always unfortunate when people make statements that could be perceived as threats,” the Secret Service said. “We don’t have the luxury of knowing a person’s intent. Each alleged or perceived threat has to be investigated thoroughly which taxes Secret Service manpower and resources that could be utilized elsewhere.”