Chilling: Barron Trump “Homeschool Shooter” Remarks Made by Saturday Night Live Writer Crosses the Line
Christian Segers, Assistant Editor
Barron Trump walking with President Trump after the Innauguration on January 20, 2017. Photo courtesy Wikimedia Commons.
January 20, 2017 served as a day filled with a sense of hope, renewal, expectation, excitement, grief, joy, anger, frustration, glory, honor, pride, doubtfulness and mockery. Unfortunately, the biggest mockery of the day was represented not in the newly minted President Trump, but in the chilling and highly scorned remarks made about his son, Barron Trump, who remains a 10-year-old child, regardless of his father’s occupation.
In particular, the twittersphere ignited when Saturday Night Live writer Katie Rich, tweeted that, “Barron [Trump] will be this country’s first homeschool shooter.”
Immediate outrage ensued from media outlets of all platforms and from individuals who found the remarks to not only be distasteful, but to also be twisted and dark in their delivery.
According to The Washington Post, “Nearly 79,000 people signed a Change.org petition for her [Rich] to be fired.”
Saturday Night Live had no other choice than to discipline their writer and consequently suspend Rich indefinitely from the satirical program’s lineup, going so far as to delete her name from the credits sequence towards the conclusion of their next broadcast.
Although it would be a negative event if Rich’s tweet was the only act meant to bring humiliation to the child that day, it should be seen as an utter travesty that [Barron] Trump received endless quantities of inexcusable remarks, on a day that is typically meant to be one of pompous celebration. Additional remarks came from various pro-Clinton supporters and anti-Trump leftists who sought to undermine the legitimacy of a Trump Presidency. However, a surprising defendant of the “First Child” came from none other then Chelsea Clinton, who emphasized the importance of not directing any pent-up aggression on the young Trump.
Clinton said, “Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does-to be a kid. Standing up for every kid also means opposing @POTUS policies that hurt kids.”
Clinton’s statement may have a not-so-subtle closing punch at President Trump, but at least her intentions were to address the need to let all kids, regardless of their parents, experience childhood, so that they can make their own life choices later on. It is up to everyone else to afford them that opportunity.
Following President Trump’s personal remarks, condemning Rich as “disgraceful” and “terrible,” the White House followed with an official statement, which reads, “It is a longstanding tradition that the children of Presidents are afforded the opportunity to grow up outside of the political spotlight. The White House fully expects this tradition to continue. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.”
After deleting and since reactivating her account, Rich tweeted, “I sincerely apologize for the insensitive tweet. I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I’m so sorry.”
Rich has yet to be reinstated to her former position at Saturday Night Live.
