Actress Bette Midler faces pushback over Trump 'shiv' joke | TheHill - The Hill

The actress joked in a since-deleted tweet that "maybe someone" in the Trump camp "can gently give him a shiv," a slang term for a knife used as a weapon.

"He actually looks better here! Maybe someone in his camp can gently give him a shiv. I mean, shove," the actress wrote to her more than 1.6 million followers.

In a tweet Wednesday morning, Midler thanked followers "who came to my defense last night during my personal Battle of the Bulge with he who must not be named."

"Your wit and good nature really lifted my spirits; as a newly washed up psycho, I am very grateful for your thoughts and prayers," she quipped.

Midler and Trump have exchanged verbal taunts on Twitter in recent days, with the president referring to Midler as a "washed up psycho" and "sick scammer" and the actress sharing a series of insults directed at the president.

Trump blasted Midler on Tuesday after she shared a fabricated quote from 1998 claiming that Trump once called GOP voters "the dumbest group of voters in the country." The quote was debunked by fact-checking website Snopes in 2015.

"Washed up psycho @BetteMidler was forced to apologize for a statement she attributed to me that turned out to be totally fabricated by her in order to make 'your great president' look really bad," Trump wrote to his nearly 60 million followers. "She got caught, just like the Fake News Media gets caught. A sick scammer!"

Washed up psycho @BetteMidler was forced to apologize for a statement she attributed to me that turned out to be totally fabricated by her in order to make “your great president” look really bad. She got caught, just like the Fake News Media gets caught. A sick scammer!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 5, 2019

Midler was blasted for the "shiv" joke on Twitter, with some arguing the threat violated the social media giant's terms of service.

Threats of violence are a violation of Twitter's terms of service.*
*Not applicable to threats made by has-beens against President Trump. pic.twitter.com/U1FeXMpqlm
— Paul Sacca (@Paul_Sacca) June 5, 2019

The wicked vile hate that Bette Midler spews 24/7 has gone on far too long.
Bravo to you @realDonaldTrump for calling her out on it.
I will pray she actually personally apologizes to you Mr. President, finds peace in her heart & stops hurting
p.s. You are a Great President! https://t.co/BLXng6NWtf
— Kristy Swanson (@KristySwansonXO) June 5, 2019

@CIA @FBI @SecretService, @BetteMidler just made a public threat to our president, @realDonaldTrump. Just a heads up.
— Jack (@JCD84x) June 5, 2019

1. Bette Midler spends years ranting about President Trump.
2. Trump calls her a "washed up psycho."
3. Midler suggests that someone should murder the President. https://t.co/i2pFJRTuXc
— Michael Knowles (@michaeljknowles) June 5, 2019

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