Tom Hanks' Son Colin's Tweets About Donald Trump and Coronavirus Are Riling up Onlookers

Michael Hein

03/14/2020 05:00 pm EDT

Tom Hanks' son, Colin Hanks has been firing off an angry tweets about President Donald Trump all week, and social media is struggling to keep up The actor was furious about the Trump administration's response to the coronavirus pandemic, especially after his father and stepmother tested positive for the illness while overseas in Australia. Now his tweets are the perfect storm of politics, celebrity and international news.

Tom Hanks and his wife Rita Wilson revealed that they were sick with the coronavirus on Wednesday. The couple was in Australia, working on the upcoming Elvis Presley movie when they were apparently exposed to the virus. They thanked fans for their concern and urged them not to worry about them.

"Hello, folks. Rita and I are down here in Australia," Hanks' statement began. "We felt a bit tired, like we had colds, and some body aches. Rita had some chills that came and went. Slight fevers too. To play things right, as is needed in the world right now, we were tested for the Coronavirus, and were found to be positive."

"Well, now. What to do next? The Medical Officials have protocols that must be followed," his statement continued. "We Hanks' will be tested, observed, and isolated for as long as public health and safety requires. Not much more to it than a one-day-at-a-time approach, no?"

"We'll keep the world posted and updated," he concluded. "Take care of yourselves! Hanx!"

That same day, Hanks' 42-year-old son, Colin made a furious post about the Trump administration's new measures to stop the spread of "misinformation" about the virus.

"So NOW Trump and the White House are concerned about the spread of misinformation," he tweeted.

Hanks was already an outspoken opponent of President Trump on Twitter, but with his father's health now in the headlines, his tweets have picked up more notice than ever. The Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle star is getting some fresh pushback on his views, but plenty of fresh support as well.

Here is a look at how Twitter is feeling about Colin Hanks' tweets through the coronavirus outbreak.

Well-Wishes

All of Colin Hanks' posts in the last few days have prompted thoughts, prayers and well-wishes from others on Twitter, who say that his family is in their thoughts. Many are thinking of Colin and his siblings as well, worried about how they are handling the anxiety.

'Infuriating'

Others were angry with Colin, and on his behalf. They posted about how "infuriating" it was to see the coronavirus handled in this way, with no actionable way to change it.

Love From Australia

Some fans from Australia posted reassuring messages for Colin, promising that his parents would be well-cared for in the land down under. They tried to soothe his fears at least that far.

Laughter is the best medicine

Even when Hanks paused for a moment of levity on Twitter this week, fans commented on his parents' health status and his presumably complicated feelings about it.

Trump Defenders

Of course, Colin's posts also drew detractors to his Twitter account, including some who defended President Trump from Colin's criticisms. Others tried to warn them that they were being disrespectful given the personal stakes of this crisis for Colin's family.

'Fear-Mongering'

Others accused Colin of contributing to "the fear-mongering," saying that it was irresponsible to make commentary about the virus on a big platform. This is an issue many public figures have been struggling with — even late night hosts like Stephen Colbert and Seth Meyers debated with themselves about whether it was right to talk about the virus in their nightly monologues this week.

'Not Tom'

Finally, many users online this week were issuing disbelieving cries on behalf of Tom Hanks, calling him a national treasure and an unflappable icon. They shared their sadness with Colin, in many cases.

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