Mark Hamill’s rarely one to mince words online when it comes to politics, and this time it’s Ivanka Trump caught in the crosshairs of the Star Wars legend after the First Daughter tweeted a Star Wars-themed photo of her family. As things in Washington, D.C continue to heat up for her father, the ire of Luke Skywalker is likely the last thing the Trump family was looking to capture.
Normally, Mark Hamill is like every Star Wars fan’s infinitely cool and well-traveled uncle on Twitter. The bulk of his time on the platform is spent sharing his favorite fan art and retelling variably heartwarming and hilarious behind-the-scenes moments from his extraordinary career in TV and film. However, he’s become increasingly known to stand strong in his convictions in the face of perceived political and social injustice, gaining himself an online reputation as having a bit of a savage streak. Along with other American conservative politicians and pundits, Hamill’s scathing remarks are frequently aimed at US President Donald Trump and his adult children, so Ivanka Trump is hardly a new target for the sardonic actor.
On September 29, the Trump heiress shared a candid photo of herself, husband Jared Kushner, and three-year-old son Theodore Kushner dressed as one of Star Wars’ First Order Stormtroopers. Captioned, “The Force is strong in my family,” Hamill took to Twitter to correct her, notifying her that she had “misspelled ‘Fraud’” and adding the cheeky hashtag “#GoForceYourself.” Referencing allegations that Trump has committed fraud and other crimes while in office (most recently when, in a controversial phone call, he reportedly used military aid as a means of coercing Ukraine to meddle in the 2020 US elections), Hamill’s quip is a particularly biting and topical one.
His tweet has since gone viral with over one hundred thousand retweets and half-a-million likes at the time of writing, but some supporters of the Trump family have come to the aid of Ivanka and her family. They argue that Hamill is wrong to have leveled such ill will at a picture of a toddler in costume as spooky season kicks off. However, the star - for all of his witty banter and political call-outs - has never been one to attack children or milk social hot-button topics for online clout, and it seems fairly clear that isn’t what he’s doing here. In his tweet, Hamill doesn’t directly or indirectly mention Theodore, nor does he make any indication that the “#GoForceYourself” hashtag is aimed at anyone besides the adult members of the Trump empire. In fact, the child’s apt First Order costume is all-too-easy ammunition for the actor to have exploited for greater comedic effect, yet he intentionally left jokes at Theodore’s expense on the table.
Regardless of political alignment, to argue that Hamill’s tweet makes fun of a three-year-old boy who’s only caught in the political crossfire is to willfully reject the evidence of one’s eyes and ears. A vocal critic of President Trump’s alleged misbehavior, policies, and promises, such as the President’s proposed US-Mexico border wall, it should come as no surprise that Hamill also takes broader issue with the asserted fraud and corruption that reportedly plagues the Trump family, but he does so while leaving the kids out of it. When the Jedi champion of the Rebellion is railing against something so potentially vast and consequential as the subject of a congressional impeachment inquiry, maybe it wouldn’t hurt to genuinely listen to what he has to say.
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Source: Mark Hamill/Twitter
- Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker Release Date: 2019-12-20
