Trump blasts comedian over severed head photo

Soon after posting the picture, condemnation came in from different quarters

WASHINGTON: Donald Trump castigated a well-known comedian on Wednesday after the release of a grisly-looking photo showing her holding up a prop depicting the president's bloodied severed head.

Kathy Griffin had apologised earlier for the picture -- released on Tuesday by the celebrity photographer Tyler Shields -- following a wave of criticism from many quarters, saying in a video posted on Instagram that "I beg for your forgiveness" for having "crossed a line."



"Kathy Griffin should be ashamed of herself," Trump tweeted. "My children, especially my 11-year-old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!"

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

Griffin, an outspoken Trump critic who won two Emmy awards for her reality show My Life on the D List had said she would ask Shields to remove the image from the internet.

Among those tweeting in reaction to it was Trump's son Donald Trump, Jr "Disgusting but not surprising," he said. "This is the left today. They consider this acceptable."

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

Chelsea Clinton -- the daughter of Trump's former election rival Hillary -- also weighed in, calling the picture "vile and wrong."

"It is never funny to joke about killing a president," she said.

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

CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, who co-hosts a New Year's Eve programme with Griffin on the network, tweeted that he was "appalled by the photo shoot."



"It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate," he added.

For the record, I am appalled by the photo shoot Kathy Griffin took part in. It is clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.

— Anderson Cooper (@andersoncooper) May 31, 2017

CNN called the picture "disgusting and offensive" in a statement, adding that that it is "evaluating our New Year's coverage."

The Secret Service said it would investigate, posting on Twitter that "threats made against SecretService protectees receive the highest priority of all of our investigations."

Threats made against @SecretService protectees receive the highest priority of all of our investigations. #ProtectionNeverRests

— U.S. Secret Service (@SecretService) May 30, 2017