George Lopez's Donald Trump Bounty Joke Has Social Media Calling for His Arrest

A growing number of President Trump's supporters are calling for comedian George Lopez to be [...]

By Michael Hein

A growing number of President Trump's supporters are calling for comedian George Lopez to be arrested over his joke about the commander-in-chief. Lopez responded to a false claim that Iran had put a, $80 million bounty of President Trump's head, saying: "we'll do it for half." In response, some want to see him in handcuffs.

Lopez's ill-received joke came on the Instagram account Chicano Worldstar, where a post read: "Iran 'offers $80 million bounty for Donald Trump's head' after death of general." The comedian commented: "We'll do it for half," and social media has still not recovered.

The post itself was false, though it was not clearly framed as a joke. That may be why the response from President Trump's supporters has been so harsh. Lopez's comment has over 700 comments and climbing, with many condemning his words.

"You should go to prison for that comment," one person wrote.

"Did u just offer a Bounty for the killing of our President? I hope u are investigated. Terrorist act," added another. "Do u realize the magnitude of your statement? That is a threat to the POTUS. I don't give a F if you are a comedian or not. You have to be held accountable for what you are saying on a social platform! I really hope u are arrested."

"You cant hide behind comedy on this one," a third person commented.

By the end of the day on Monday, "Arrest George Lopez" was trending on Twitter. Pundits who still support the president, such as Charlie Kirk, condemned his words.

"You ever hear of Democrat privilege? It means you can commit crimes without going to jail, like George Lopez threatening to assassinate the president," Kirk tweeted. "When Republicans do this, they go to prison."

Lopez has not commented on the backlash, though he has been on social media since. After making the inflammatory comment, he later re-posted a video of U.S. military troops in uniform singing "Amazing Grace" together.

"Prayers for a SAFE return for all our troops," he wrote. "Nobody ever 'wins' in war..."

A spokesperson for Lopez told NBC News that his comment "really was a joke." Meanwhile, his defenders pointed to examples of violent rhetoric against former President Barack Obama, or against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. They refuted Kirk's claim that there is a double standard there.

The backlash to President Trump's airstrike against Iranian leaders continues to escalate, while the impeachment effort is back underway this week.

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