Harry Potter creator JK Rowling has apologised after falsely accusing US President Donald Trump of failing to shake the hand of a young boy in a wheelchair.

Ad

On Monday the author tweeted about a meeting between Trump and a group of children, saying it was “stunning" and "horrible” that he “cannot bring himself to shake the hand of a small boy”. The first of these messages racked up 75,000 retweets by the end of Monday.

She had tweeted: “Trump imitated a disabled reporter. Now he pretends not to see a child in a wheelchair, as though frightened he may catch his condition.

"My mother used a wheelchair. I witnessed people uncomfortable around her disability, but if they had a shred of decency they got over it.

"So, yes, that clip of Trump looking deliberately over a disabled child's head, ignoring his outstretched hand, has touched me on the raw.

"That man occupies the most powerful office in the free world and his daily outrages against civilised norms are having a corrosive effect

"How stunning, and how horrible, that Trump cannot bring himself to shake the hand of a small boy who only wanted to touch the President."

However, it soon emerged that Trump did greet the boy, as seen in this video posted by The White House (skip to the 2.15 mark).

This led to a series of messages to Rowling, including from Brian Weer, the child’s uncle:

And not one to miss out on a Twitter brawl with Rowling, Piers Morgan had his say:

Now Rowling has deleted those tweets, as well as posting a full apology to the boy and his family.

However, that wasn’t enough for Morgan, who said Rowling should apologise to Trump.

BREAKING: @jk_rowling announces she will delete tweet lies about Trump & disabled boy.
Apologises to boy & his family but NOT to Trump.

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) July 31, 2017

Ad

Will Rowling apologise to The President personally and silencio Morgan? We're thinking it'll take something magical to get both to happen.

Authors

Thomas LingStaff Writer, BBC Science Focus

Comments, questions and tips

Rate this recipe

What is your star rating out of 5?

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Choose the type of message you'd like to post

Overall rating

Ad
Ad
Ad
Create an image depicting a festive scene with elements from the top Christmas songs, such as a snowy New York for 'Fairytale of New York', a cozy home setting for 'Last Christmas', and a glamorous Christmas party for 'All I Want for Christmas Is You'. Include musical notes and festive decorations to represent the spirit of these iconic Christmas songs.

RT offer

Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

hello
An image depicting a festive scene with iconic Christmas elements such as a beautifully decorated Christmas tree with twinkling lights, snow gently falling, and perhaps a cozy fireplace in the background. The image should capture the essence of popular Christmas songs, with musical notes and lyrics subtly included in the design, representing a playlist of classic Christmas tunes.

summer

Immediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live eventsImmediate’s iconic brands reach 21m people every month – that’s more than a third of the UK’s adults – through its world-class magazines, innovative digital products and exciting live events

More