Broadway star Cook slams Trump, draws criticism – The Mercury News

By Amy B Wang | Washington Post

Broadway star Carole Cook is criticized for her remarks to the paparazzi this weekend, suggesting that President Donald Trump should be assassinated.

Cook, 94, and her husband were leaving a restaurant in West Hollywood on Sunday night when they were approached by a photographer from the TMZ news site, who asked her if she had heard of a recent incident at "Frozen." During a call to this program last Wednesday, a member of the public posted a large banner "Trump 2020" and brandished it.

"Is this a suitable place for a Trumper to bring a banner?" Asked the photographer.

"My answer to this question is," said Cook, "where is John Wilkes Booth when you need him? Right?"

Booth, of course, was infamous for assassinating President Abraham Lincoln at the Ford Theater in 1865.

In the video, the photographer seemed to laugh at Cook's response, then confirmed that he knew who Booth was.

"Thank you, darling," Cook said.

"He killed [a] president, "said Tom Troupe, Cook's husband.

"Do not say that," Cook reprimanded her husband before lowering her voice and turning to the photographer. "They'll get me for that."

Another person off camera could be heard asking, "So we have to kill President Trump?

Troop laughed, then said in a low voice: "Someone should."

"Why not?" Cook added.

Moments later, Cook seemed to be wondering with rhetoric if such things would make her "in trouble".

"Will I be on the list of enemies? My God, I hope, said Cook. "Just keep me out of jail. Or maybe not. "

The US secret service said Monday they were aware of Cook's comments, although they did not say if they were at the level of the threat.

"Although we do not confirm or start the absence or the existence of specific investigations, we can say that we are investigating all threats against the president," the spokesman said. Secret Service, Mason Brayman, in an email.

Many people have criticized Cook for his remarks, including former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee.

"You have the right to remain silent." These are the lines that this actress may have to memorize! ", Tweeted Huckabee on Monday." It's not just a disease – it's a crime. "

Cook has had a long acting career on stage and in film and on television. Actress Lucille Ball was the honorary mistress of Cook's marriage with Troupe in 1964.

The "frozen" incident of the photographers mentioned took place last Wednesday, when a member of the public brandished a banner "Trump 2020" when calling the curtain. Actor Timothy Hughes grabbed the banner and threw him behind him.

"What do you say about our country and our politics when a man at tonight's show felt the need to protest Disney's Frozen on Broadway with a pro Trump flag?" Wrote Hughes later on Instagram. . "How did the messages of love, acceptance and diversity in our series become the opposition to Trump's support?"

Hughes said that he was standing at his actions.

"The curtain call is a thank-you between the actors and the audience, a final connection to end a shared experience," he wrote. "I will not excuse myself for the way I responded to the disrespectful man who was trying to interrupt this moment with a pathetic political platform. Not our show! Not in front of my beautiful diverse and talented cast at @frozenbroadway.