Mark Hamill has found himself at the centre of another political firestorm after posting an AI-generated image depicting Donald Trump lying in a grave. The White House responded with unusual ferocity, accusing the Star Wars actor of fuelling a climate of political violence at a moment when security fears around the US president remain acute.
The image, now deleted, shared onHamill's verified Bluesky account,showed Trump lying in a shallow grave beside a headstone reading 'Donald J. Trump 1946-2024.' Across the image were the words 'If Only.' Hamill accompanied the post with a lengthy attack on the president, saying Trump should live long enough to see a 'devastating loss in the midterms' and be 'held accountable' for what the actor described as 'countless crimes.'
Original text: He 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. Long enough to realize he'll be disgraced in the history books, forevermore.
Within hours, the White House hit back publicly on X.
'Mark Hamill is one sick individual,'the administration's rapid response team wrote.'These Radical Left lunatics just can't help themselves. This kind of rhetoric is exactly what has inspiredthree assassination attempts in two years against our President.'
.@MarkHamillis one sick individual.These Radical Left lunatics just can’t help themselves.This kind of rhetoric is exactly what has inspired three assassination attempts in two years against our President.pic.twitter.com/daJqcyssm7
The row erupted weeks after a shooting outside the White House Correspondents' Dinner, where authorities say an armed suspect attempted to target Trump and members of his administration. Federal officials said the suspect, identified as Cole Tomas Allen, had sent anti-Trump messages before the attack.
That incident added to an already volatile backdrop surrounding Trump's security. In 2024, the president was grazed in the ear during a campaign rally shooting in Pennsylvania. In a separate case, another armed man was arrested near Trump's golf course and later convicted of attempted assassination.
The White House has increasingly argued that hostile rhetoric from public figures is contributing to real-world threats against Trump. Hamill's post landed directly in that debate.
The actor, best known globally for playing Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, has long been one of Trump's most outspoken celebrity critics. Over the years, he has used social media to mock the president, often with a level of bluntness rare even in Hollywood's heavily partisan culture. This time, though, the imagery crossed into territory that even some critics of Trump appeared uncomfortable defending.
Source: International Business Times UK
