“Star Wars” actor Mark Hamill walked back a controversial social media post Thursday after drawing condemnation from the White House and conservative actors over an AI-generated image depicting President Donald Trump lying lifeless in a flower-ringed grave.
Mr. Hamill shared the image on his verified Bluesky account, showing Mr. Trump in an open grave in front of a headstone reading “Donald J. Trump 1946-2024,” with the words “If Only” written across the photo. In the accompanying caption, Mr. Hamill wrote that Mr. Trump “should 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” before calling him a permanent disgrace to American history.
The White House moved quickly to condemn the post. The administration’s Rapid Response 47 account on X called Mr. Hamill “one sick individual,” claiming the post reflected rhetoric that had “inspired three assassination attempts in two years against our President.”
By Thursday, Mr. Hamill had removed the image from his Bluesky profile and issued a partial apology. In a new post, he replaced the grave image with a photo of an alive Mr. Trump and wrote: “Accurate Edit for Clarity: ’He should live long enough to… be held accountable for his… crimes.’ Actually, I was wishing him the opposite of dead, but apologize if you found the image inappropriate.” A representative for Mr. Hamill referred NBC News to that statement when asked for comment.
Accurate Edit for Clarity: “He should live long enough to… be held accountable for his… crimes.” Actually, I was wishing him the opposite of dead, but apologize if you found the image inappropriate. 💙-mh
— Mark Hamill (@markhamillofficial.bsky.social) May 7, 2026 at 3:11 PM
SEE ALSO: ‘Star Wars’ actor Mark Hamill posts ‘If Only’ image of Trump in grave
The backlash spread through conservative actors and commentators. Actor James Woods shared the original post with the pointed remark, “When they tell you who they are, believe them.” “Saturday Night Live” alumnus Rob Schneider called Mr. Hamill “a sick demented” person and “a disgrace to decent Americans.” Montana Sen. Tim Sheehy mocked the actor’s career, writing that Mr. Hamill “had one role that made him a legend because he had Han Solo, Darth Vader, and Obi Wan carrying his baggage.”
Variety reported that the controversy came shortly after a shooting incident at the White House Correspondents’ Association Dinner. Cole Tomas Allen, 31, of Torrance, California, was charged in federal court with attempting to assassinate Mr. Trump after a shooting at the Washington Hilton during the dinner on April 25. Mr. Allen faces charges of attempt to assassinate the president, transportation of a firearm and ammunition in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony, and discharge of a firearm during a crime of violence. The Department of Justice announced the charges following his arraignment in U.S. District Court.
Mr. Hamill, 74, has been a frequent and vocal critic of the president, having previously said he was “ashamed” that America elected Mr. Trump twice. He was also invited by former President Barack Obama this week to visit his presidential library in Chicago, a connection critics seized upon to intensify their criticism of the actor.
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