Madonna has clarified her “blowing up the White House” comment she made at the Women’s March in Washington, D.C., on Saturday.
“I am not a violent person, I do not promote violence and it’s important people hear and understand my speech in it’s entirety rather than one phrase taken wildly out of context,” Madonna wrote on Instagram along with a picture of herself that said, “I choose love. Are you with me?”
“I spoke in metaphor and I shared two ways of looking at things — one was to be hopeful, and one was to feel anger and outrage, which I have personally felt,” she continued. “However, I know that acting out of anger doesn’t solve anything. And the only way to change things for the better is to do it with love.”
Nevertheless, her comment drew strong reactions from the right. Newt Gingrich appeared on “Fox & Friends” on Sunday saying, “Frankly, the truth is she ought to be arrested for saying she has thought about blowing up the White House.”
Senior White House aide Kellyanne Conway told ABC news that “I read in an article or two that the Secret Service may be investigating that.”
The Secret Service takes all threats against the president seriously, but a government official told the New York Post that whether or not there will be an investigation comes down to intent.
“Is she intending to do harm to the White House or President Trump?” the official said. “Otherwise it will be characterized as inappropriate. If it’s characterized as inappropriate, then there won’t be any discussions with the U.S. Attorney. If it’s determined that there’s intent on her part, then there will be discussions with the U.S. Attorney and they’ll take it from there.”