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Actress Shailene Woodley defended sharing a statement from Melania Trump after the assassination attempt on former President Trump, despite facing backlash.
Known for her roles in the “Divergent” films and HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” Woodley is also an outspoken climate activist and a former Bernie Sanders supporter. But she’s now facing negative remarks for her support shown to the former First Lady.
“I posted that letter because I thought it was a beautiful message of human compassion, and then I forgot about it because I have a life and I don’t live for what social media says,” said Woodley in an interview with Bustle.
Woodley expressed her concern over the support for the violence she observed from “many” in her liberal circles following the attempted assassination of former President Trump at a July rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, stating:
“Literally, I read it and I was like, ‘This is so beautiful.’ I was in circles of people that I deeply respect — friends, colleagues, progressive, very intelligent thinkers, shakers and movers — and many of them were saying, ‘He missed! F—ing assassin missed! Maybe it was a setup. Maybe it was a conspiracy.’ I was going, ‘Have we forgotten that two human lives were taken?’ Two people died. That is sad. That is devastating. I could not understand how people were speaking about something with such passion for death.”
In a July 14 statement, Melania Trump thanked Secret Service and law enforcement for protecting former President Trump, expressed sympathy for victims’ families, and called for unity:
“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion – his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life – his human side – were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times. Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment – until death – is at serious risk. Political concepts are simple when compared to us, human beings.”
Woodley shared only the first page of Melania Trump’s statement on Instagram, focusing on Trump’s humanity before it turned “more political.” She was surprised to learn from a friend that her post sparked media attention and backlash online.
“I was like, “Oh my God, that is now this? Hundreds of articles because I posted about a woman saying she’s grateful her husband is alive? Really?” said Woodley. “It made me shake my head. If [who I am] is not coming through in the way that I’m intending, I’m not going to participate on social media. I participate in my own ways now that maybe are less public because I want to add to the right noise. I don’t want to add to unnecessary noise.”
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