15 December 2020
Newsdesk
Debra Messing has insisted she's a "LGBTQIA ally", after raising eyebrows when she posted an ill-judged tweet about U.S. President Donald Trump.
The Will & Grace star has made no secret of her dislike for the current POTUS, but took things a step too far as she attacked Trump while praising the leadership of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, writing: "@realDonaldTrump you are a weak, scared, stupid, inept, negligent, vindictive, narcissistic, criminal. I hope you live a long life in prison where you become the most popular boyfriend to ... all inmates."
Her tweet led to backlash from many, with Messing returning to the site to insist she hadn't meant to slight the LGBTQ community with her post.
"Let me be clear: I said nothing about LGBTQI/queer LOVE," she wrote. "Rape is an act of violence. Trump has perpetrated violence on hundreds of millions of people. My hope is (and this is the first time in my life) that the tables are turned and he is the victim of perpetrators. #LGBTQIAally."
However, her follow-up tweet did little to allay the initial criticism of the actress, with journalist Jeryl Bier tweeting: "So, to be 'clear,' she's not using a somewhat flippant prison-boyfriend expression to indicate her disdain for the president, she literally wants him to be raped! Well, ok, that clears things up."
Another journalist, Eoin Higgins, called Messing "one of the most vile people on this site", while Manhattan Institute senior fellow Brian Riedl concurred: "There are so many actors, actress, musicians, etc. that I used to like and would continue to like had they never signed up for Twitter. Perhaps not all thoughts need to be blasted out to millions."
And comedian Robby Slowik tweeted: "I've been in this situation at dinner parties where everyone just stares at you blankly after you're like, 'Oh no no no you misunderstood me. I was just saying, I think he needs to be violently prison raped. Is that better?'"
