George Lopez: Comedian under fire for joking about killing Trump
George Lopez has faced criticism after making a joke about killing Donald Trump.
The US comedian made the joke in response to an unverified claim posted on Instagram that Iranian authorities have put an $80m bounty on Trump’s head, following the assassination of General Qassem Soleimani.
“We’ll do it for half,” Lopez responded.
Lopez’s joke was subsequently condemned by US conservatives, who have called for the comedian to be investigated by the secret service.
Hashtags including “#ArrestGeorgeLopez” trended on Twitter throughout Monday (6 December).
“It’s time for Secret Service to pay George Lopez a visit!” wrote internet personalities and Trump allies Diamond and Silk in a tweet.
In a comment to Fox News, representatives for Lopez dismissed the outrage and referred to his comment as a “joke”.
Comedian Kathy Griffin was previously put under federal investigation in 2017 after participating in a photoshoot in which she held aloft a Trump mask covered in blood.
In 2012, musician Ted Nugent was investigated by the Secret Service after remarking that he would either “be dead or in jail” if Barack Obama was re-elected. He had previously remarked that the former president should “suck on [his] machine gun”.
Nugent later attended the White House alongside Kid Rock and Sarah Palin as a guest of Trump.
