In a since removed tweet, actor Tom Arnold tweeted a thinly veiled assassination reference to President Trump after he landed in Dallas, Texas for his campaign rally on Thursday.
Trump tweeted that he had just arrived at the American Airlines Center and would be taking the stage shortly. In a reply, Arnold tweeted, "Don't get too cocky traitor. They showed up for JFK too."
Arnold was referring to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy when he was driving through Dallas in 1963.
Arnold has defended the tweet when users wondered if the Secret Service should be aware of his statement. He also tweeted personal attacks against critics, "For what? Patriotism? Blow me suck up."
For what? Patriotism? Blow me suck up.
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) October 18, 2019
They should probably stay in Dallas. You don't get...oh you work with Sen Tom Cotton....Never mind...Dumb ass.
— Tom Arnold (@TomArnold) October 18, 2019
Arnold has recently joined an "impeachment task force" made up of other celebrities such as Rosie O'Donnell, Debra Messing, Alyssa Milano, Ron Perlman, and George Takei. Their goal is counter Republican messaging about the impeachment inquiry on social media.
"Trump's propaganda machine is going to be in overdrive for the foreseeable future, so we need to be fighting every day, in every way," The Democratic Coalition's co-founder Scott Dworkin told Newsweek. "A lot of these celebs have been attacked by Trump people or even by Trump personally, so he will be paying attention."