Star Wars actor Mark Hamill has defended himself after a social media post that he deleted was erroneously linked to the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump over the weekend.
Minutes into Trump's speech at a July 13 rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, a gunman opened fire, striking Trump in his right ear. He was surrounded by Secret Service agents and led from the stage after defiantly raising his hand in a clenched fist.
One rally attendee was killed, and two others were critically injured, according to the Secret Service. The gunman was fatally shot by the Secret Service at the scene.
With Hamill being a frequent critic of Trump, popular right-wing account Libs of TikTok shared a screenshot of a post that the actor had uploaded and deleted following the shooting, linking it to the incident.
The post in question, which was shared on X (formerly Twitter), showed that Hamill had written, "For you & your favorite person," alongside a star-covered GIF that read, "Congratulations. So happy for you!"
In sharing the screenshot, a caption on the Libs of TikTok account read: "Mark Hamill just deleted this tweet which he posted right after the sh**ting."
Hamill responded to the accusation on Tuesday, writing: "I was replying to a woman wishing her husband a Happy Anniversary, who she called her 'favorite person.' Accidentally tweeting it instead, I deleted it when I realized my mistake."
"Nice try @libsoftiktok, but you're not very good at mind-reading," the actor concluded his post, which he signed off with a red heart emoji and "Mar" alongside the emoji of a camel in a novel way to represent his name.
The actor regularly dedicates congratulatory posts and birthday messages to X users in the style seen in the screenshot.
While Hamill explained that the anniversary post was not a reaction to the Trump shooting incident, the screen star sparked a mixed reaction online this week after he made fun of the bandage on the former president's injured right ear.
On Monday night, Trump appeared at the opening of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, wearing a large bandage over his right ear.
"1st APPEARANCE of ludicrously oversized ear bandage, apparently not needed prior to tonight [ear emoji and rolling on the floor laughing emoji]," the Star Wars actor posted on X alongside a close-up photo of Trump with his bandage. The term "ludicrously oversized" is a reference to a joke made in the TV series Succession.
It is not the first time the actor—who is a staunch supporter of President Joe Biden—has condemned Trump online. Following Trump and Biden's first presidential debate last month, Hamill wrote on X that the former president "is a convicted felon, serial liar & adjudicated rapist who is unfit for ANY office."
While Biden was widely deemed to have fared poorly during the debate, prompting calls for the incumbent to step down from his efforts to land a second term in the White House, Hamill continues to back the Democrat.
"BREAKING: Mark Hamill has announced he will be supporting President Biden over Donald tRump," he posted on X on April 9.
In May, he posted a series of pro-Biden and anti-Trump political messages that appeared to be in preparation for May 4—a special occasion for Star Wars fans who celebrate it as "May the Fourth" due to a resemblance to the film quote "may the force be with you."
"May The First Not Quench Your Thirst For Biden's Re-election! #BidenHarris2024," Hamill posted on May 1.
"May The Second Biden Administration Be As Productive and Successful As The 1st," he wrote the following day.
"May The Third Be Absurd That The Guy Who Tried To Steal A Fair Election Is Allowed To Run Again," read a post shared by Hamill on May 3. This was also the same day that he praised Biden as "Joe-bi Wan Kenobi" during a surprise appearance at the White House. The actor arrived to the press conference wearing Biden-supplied sunglasses and hailed the president's legislative track record.
On May 4, he uploaded a photo of himself and the president in the White House with the caption: "May The Fourth Be The Day A Make-Believe Defender Of The Galaxy Met A Real-Life Defender Of Democracy."
In more recent days, Hamill has repeatedly shared the hashtag "#BidenHarrisToSaveDemocracy."
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