"He was praying" — Internet reacts to Mark Hamill implying Donald Trump fell asleep during RNC in Milwaukee

Actor Mark Hamil joined in on the online discourse of whether Donald Trump had fallen asleep at the Republican National Convention on July 16, 2024. Mark Hamill, known for portraying Luke Skywalker in the Star Wars series, tweeted the viral image of Trump with his eyes closed at the RNC, comparing it to a picture of himself sleeping on a red sofa with the caption,

"For once, I'm with him. #GOP_Snoozefest."

Mark Hamill's post, which received over 1.5 million views and 40K likes at the time of this article, had mixed reviews. Many defended the former president and Republican nominee, adding the picture was taken during a prayer led by Pastor James Roemke.

Several others joined to voice their support for Trump, accusing Mark Hamill of mocking someone praying.

"How often do those mocking prayer end up on the right side of history?" tweeted one person.

"Are you that triggered? Maybe go play with your light saber's to make you feel better," added another person.

"This photo of Trump was taken DURING A PRAYER. But of course you wouldn’t know that," someone else wrote.

"The praying hands of Kimberly Guilfoyle behind him kinda give it away that he was praying. Not that you’d know anything about it," said someone.

However, others added to Mark Hamill's initial commentary, calling Trump "Sleepy Don" and alleging he wasn't fit for office.

"Sleepy Don isn’t fit for office," wrote one person.

"Cut Donald Trump some slack. He had to spend a lot of time in the makeup chair getting his fake hair done, his fake tan and his fake bandage before going onstage," added another.

"Absolutely sir. That’s why they took him off the Jumbotron. Because they didn’t want the crowd to see Trump SLEEPING," wrote someone else.

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Mark Hamill recently received flak for mocking Trump's ear bandage

This is not the first time Mark Hamill stirred controversy with his tweets regarding Donald Trump. After the first photos of Donald Trump with his bandaged ear at the RNC circulated on social media, Hamill mocked the former president for his "ludicrously oversized ear bandage."

The post faced severe backlash on social media, with many berating Mark Hamill for mocking someone who was recently shot.

Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt after 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks shot at him during a rally in Butler on July 13. The bullet grazed Trump's right ear, and he was relatively uninjured and was even spotted golfing the next day.

Trump's appearance at the RNC came just days after the shooting. The RNC, scheduled from July 15 to July 18 in Milwaukee, saw Trump formally elected as the Republican candidate in the November election against the current President Joe Biden.

A clip of Trump allegedly sleeping at the convention went viral on social media, however, it got debunked as AFP Fact Check proved that the clip was during a prayer. The misconception came from the MSNBC coverage of host Rachael Maddow and other speakers leading a panel about Trump's nomination while a split screen showed him with his eyes closed.

AFP Fact Check matched the timestamp of Trump's footage to coincide with Pastor James Roemke leading a prayer at the convention. This was corroborated by his spokesperson Steven Cheung, who stated to AFP on July 16.

"It is disgusting some people would spread misinformation about something so sacred as bowing one's head in prayer."

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Political aisle reacts: Politicians respond to Trump's alleged assassination attempt

In the wake of Donald Trump's alleged assassination attempt, several Democratic and Republican politicians came together to send their well-wishes and condemn the violent act. US President Joe Biden tweeted,

"I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information."

"Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it," he added.

Former US VP Mike Pence posted he was praying for Trump's full recovery, adding that "political violence" in America must be "thoroughly condemned." Bill Clinton, the 42nd US President, similarly condemned the shooting, thanking the Secret Service for their swift action.