Comedian George Lopez has finally responded to the major social media backlash he’s received after he offered to kill President Trump in honor of Iran’s alleged bounty on his head–he says he was just joking!
Just a Joke?
Lopez responded to an Instagram post on Sunday announcing that Iran had put an $80 million bounty on Trump for his ordered airstrike in Baghdad that killed Gen. Qassem Soleimani.
“Iranian authorities have put a bounty on American President Donald Trump’s head during the televised funeral of General #QasemSoleimani after he was assassinated last week. What are your thoughts?” the post read.
George Lopez later wrote, “We’ll do it for half.”
Raise your hand if you think this man should be arrested by the Secret Service.
— Wayne Dupree ?? (@WayneDupreeShow) January 7, 2020
Fox News reported that when they reached out to Lopez for comment, a representative said his remark was just “a joke” and should not be taken seriously or literally.
Lopez’s “half” comment immediately went viral, and the comedian’s name began trending on social media as well as the phrase “arrest George Lopez.”
Some on Twitter even wanted the Secret Service to get involved.
Fox News reported Tuesday that indeed may be happening.
Secret Service responds to George Lopez's joke about assassinating President Trump https://t.co/ogdwOEbbsD
— TheBlaze (@theblaze) January 7, 2020
Report: Secret Service Looking Into Lopez Comment
“Comedian George Lopez’s joke about collecting a rumored bounty on Donald Trump’s head has reportedly got the attention of the United States Secret Service,” Fox News reported.
The report continued, “According to TMZ, the Secret Service is aware of the 58-year-old comedian’s online comment and is currently working to determine if there is any legitimate threat behind it.”
“Representatives for the Secret Service were not immediately available for comment,” Fox News noted.
Is it too little, too late from George Lopez? https://t.co/ve5l25w3mf
— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) January 7, 2020
There is Secret Service Precedent Regarding Celebrities Making Death Threats Against Presidents
There would be a precedent for Secret Service involvement over a celebrity making threats against the President, whether they were joking or not.
Just ask Ted Nugent.
“Although many were upset, others were quick to defend the star’s comment and noted that it’s very similar to a past remark made by singer Ted Nugent in 2012, which was investigated by the Secret Service,” notes Fox News. “The singer publicly told President Barack Obama to ‘suck on my machine gun,’ prompting outrage from the left. The authorities investigated Nugent over the comment but eventually deemed the issue resolved with no further action being taken.”
Whether further action is taken by authorities with George Lopez will remain to be seen.
But making such threatening comments in any context is no joking matter.