The Madonna controversy continues to play out, with President Trump himself calling out the songstress for her speech at last week’s Women’s March in Washington, D.C., during which she said from the stage that she’s “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House.”
“Honestly, she’s disgusting. I think she hurt herself very badly. I think she hurt that whole cause,” the president told Sean Hannity of Fox News in an interview that aired Thursday.
Just one day after her remarks, Madonna took to Instagram to clarify her comments, explaining that she does not encourage violence and that she felt parts of her speech were taken “wildly out of context.” But the apology fell flat with many, even with some on the Left who have supported her outrageous behavior and career all these years.
Related: Madonna is Crazier Than Ever
“I spoke in metaphor and I shared two ways of looking at things — one was to be hopeful, and one was to feel anger and outrage, which I have personally felt. However, I know that acting out of anger doesn’t solve anything. And the only way to change things for the better is to do it with love,” the “Material Girl” wrote.
A spokesman for the Secret Service told the Associated Press the agency became immediately aware of the comment, adding, “An investigation was opened but the decision to prosecute rests with the U.S. Attorney’s office.”
Threatening a U.S. president is a serious crime and a class E felony. It consists of knowingly and willfully mailing or otherwise making “any threat to take the life of, to kidnap, or to inflict bodily harm upon the president of the United States.”
In short — the Secret Service doesn’t have the luxury of dismissing any such threat, even if the person who made the threat recorded some hit songs 20 years ago.
[lz_ndn video=31906464]
Madonna even tweeted and then deleted an obscene message to the president and his protection team, stating: “F*** Donald Trump and F*** the Secret Service.” The screenshot was captured and continues to be shared, both by those who applaud the singer’s sentiments and those who are appalled by them.
Related: Celebrities Hijack Women’s Marches
Earlier this week, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich called for Madonna’s arrest, saying on Fox News, “She is parallel to the young fascists who ran around town, breaking windows, all of whom should be given the maximum sentence. I had friends who couldn’t leave their hotel because the demonstrators had broken through the police line and were bottling up the people in the hotel. I had other friends who were hassled trying to get to the inaugural address. What you have is an emerging left-wing fascism [sic]. She’s part of it. I think we have to prepare to protect ourselves.”
He added, “The truth is, she ought to be arrested for saying she has thought about blowing up the White House.”
Catch is, Madonna and other outspoken celebrities could skate on any criminal charge because of that intent clause in the law, in which a person’s willingness to harm the president is taken into account.
No matter the legal consequences, Madonna is wrong to believe her words were taken out of context. Many posted the singer’s entire speech when covering her comments. In a speech that was supposed to be about a “revolution of love,” Madonna couldn’t help but drop several F bombs and laugh about how she’s thought about doing harm to the home and office of the president of the United States.
Celebrities like Madonna couldn’t help but steal the spotlight during the women’s marches last weekend and spread their divisive and careless rhetoric — and now the president is rightly calling them out for it.
Join the Discussion
Comments are currently closed.