"When was the last time an actor assassinated a president? People who gathered at the Glastonbury Festival were taken aback when Johnny Depp asked the audience at the Libertine film screening, "Can you bring Trump here?". And then the audience heard Johnny Depp's third comment. "I want to clarify. I am not an actor. I lie for a living. But, it has been a while.
Maybe it's about time." This was reported across mainstream media, including the BBC who wrote on 23 June that "when it comes to statements made by artists, courts have usually declared the cases to be protected speech under the First Amendment to the US Constitution."
Will Johnny Depp face consequences?
As per the United States Code Title 18, Section 871, threatening to take the life, to kidnap, or cause bodily harm to the president, vice president, and any other presidential candidates willfully and knowingly is considered a class E felony. It was reported by the U.S. media that the U.S. Secret Service, the agency tasked to investigate suspected cases was aware of Johnny Depp's comments.
Has this happened before?
Even though the news is still hot, this is not the first time something like this has taken place and the BBC reminded us that when 2017 had just started rolling, singer Madonna admitted saying "I had thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House." When terrible responses started flowing in from Trump supporters, Madonna withdrew her words saying that her remarks were taken out of context. A Secret Service official told the media that depends on whether or not the threat was genuine, so action could taken.
This is expected to be the case with Johnny Depp as well. Similar cases include Comedian Kathy Griffin, who appeared in a photo with a fake bloodied head that resembled Trump held in her hand, and rapper Snoop Dogg, who in a music video shot a toy gun at Donald Trump character.
What is with the disputes?
Is it because of Donald Trump's controversial nature that an awful lot of disputes popped out? The freedom of speech to protect what they do has been cited for decades. Critiques and Trump supporters have made it clear that people sometimes try to cross the line of what is permissible, and they suggest a double standard when it comes to reviews against Trump.
No actions were taken at the time of presidential campaign last year, when Trump's Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton accused Trump of promoting violence for saying that gun right supporters could stop Hillary Clinton from winning.