Whoopi's Anti-Trump T-Shirt: Inciting Suicide Or Free Speech?

In 2017, a doctored image resurfaced on social media, purportedly showing actress and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg wearing a T-shirt depicting an image of President Donald Trump shooting himself. The image was shared widely on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, with many calling for Goldberg to be fired from her show, The View. However, the original, unaltered photo from the 2017 Women's March shows Goldberg wearing a different shirt with the words, And you thought I was a nasty woman before? Buckle up, buttercup. Goldberg herself has denied wearing the shirt with the violent image, stating that she would never wear such a shirt, even though she is outspoken in her criticism of Trump and his presidency.

Whoopi Goldberg's criticism of Trump

Whoopi Goldberg has been an outspoken critic of former US President Donald Trump. She has never held back in expressing her opposition to Trump and his policies, and has often used her platform as co-host of The View to voice her criticism.

In November 2020, Goldberg called out Trump's refusal to concede the 2020 presidential election, accusing him of staging "a coup". She said, "It feels like they’re attempting a coup, to me... This is what dictators do when they try to say, 'This election isn’t real. This didn’t happen. I’m going to change it.'".

Goldberg has also taken issue with the Republican party's apparent support for Trump, despite his controversial actions and statements. She has stated that she does not want to give them much attention because their views do not represent people of colour. In an episode of The View, she said, "I don't want to talk about somebody who thinks I'm a non-starter as a person, as a person of colour... They voted that this is the direction they want to go in, so I'm not going to give them a lot of attention."

In 2021, Goldberg said she would "take a break" from talking about Trump, as she wanted to focus on the actions of President Joe Biden, who had also expressed fatigue at discussing his predecessor. However, this did not mean that Goldberg had softened her stance on Trump.

Goldberg has been the subject of doctored images, purportedly showing her wearing a shirt depicting violence against Trump. She has denied these claims and stated that she would never wear such a shirt, even though she strongly opposes the former president.

Doctored images of Whoopi Goldberg

In 2017, doctored images of Whoopi Goldberg wearing a t-shirt depicting violence against President Trump circulated on social media. The images, which were shared on platforms like Facebook and Twitter, had been manipulated to show Goldberg wearing a shirt with an illustration of Trump shooting himself in the head and his 2016 campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again".

The original photograph was taken at the 2017 Women's March, where Goldberg wore a shirt that read, "And you thought I was a nasty woman before? Buckle up, buttercup". When the altered image first surfaced in April 2017, Goldberg addressed it on "The View", showing the original, unaltered photo and stating that she would never wear a shirt like the one in the manipulated image.

Despite Goldberg's denial and clarification, the doctored image resurfaced and was shared by comedian Roseanne Barr in May 2018. Barr's retweet included the caption, "Out of curiosity, ABC & Disney, is this okay with you? Hypocrisy on the Left is sickening! Your (sic) pathetic!". Barr's retweet came after ABC canceled her show due to a racist tweet she had posted about Valerie Jarrett, a former advisor to President Barack Obama. In response to Barr's retweet, Goldberg again displayed the original and altered photos on "The View", calling the doctored image horrific.

The circulation of these doctored images of Whoopi Goldberg is an example of how digital manipulation of media can be used to spread misinformation and fuel political controversies.

The original shirt worn by Whoopi Goldberg

In May 2017, images began circulating on social media of actress and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg wearing what appeared to be a violent anti-Trump shirt. The image depicted Goldberg wearing a t-shirt emblazoned with an illustration of then-President Donald Trump shooting himself in the head. The shirt also featured Trump's 2016 campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again".

However, the image was digitally manipulated, and Goldberg's original shirt did not feature any graphic illustration or the words "Make America Great Again". In the unaltered photograph, Goldberg's shirt read, "And you thought I was a nasty woman before? Buckle up, buttercup".

Goldberg has been outspoken in her criticism of Trump throughout his presidency. When the altered photo began circulating in April 2017, she addressed it on an episode of her show, "The View", displaying the original, unedited photo alongside the doctored version. She stated that despite her opposition to Trump, she would never wear a shirt like the one in the altered image.

The Women's March

The idea for the Women's March arose after Donald Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in the 2016 presidential election, and Republicans gained control of Congress. During his campaign, Trump made inflammatory and conservative remarks, including a number of comments about women. Notably, a video from 2005 surfaced in which he told an entertainment reporter that "when you're a star...you can do anything," including grabbing women by the genitals. The day after Trump's election win, Teresa Shook, a grandmother living in Hawaii, proposed a march on Washington, D.C. on Facebook. The suggestion quickly gained traction, with thousands voicing their support. Marches were soon scheduled for other cities, and while they were widely seen as anti-Trump protests, the organizers framed the events as a call for broader social change.

The turnout for the Women's March far exceeded expectations. According to organizers, more than 670 events were held on seven continents. It was believed that between 3.3 million and 4.6 million people attended the marches in the US, while total worldwide participation was reported to be about 5 million. The central demonstration in Washington, D.C., swelled to approximately 500,000 people, which was thought to be double the attendance of Trump's inauguration ceremony. Other large marches took place in New York City (400,000 people), Boston (175,000), Chicago (250,000), Seattle (120,000-175,000), and Los Angeles (500,000-750,000). Many demonstrators, regardless of gender, wore knitted pink "pussyhats," referencing Trump's comment about groping women.

Roseanne Barr's retweet of the altered photo

In May 2018, Roseanne Barr retweeted a post that compared a doctored image of Whoopi Goldberg with the cancellation of her show, "Roseanne", by ABC. Barr's retweet came after she posted a racist tweet about Valerie Jarrett, which led to the cancellation of her show.

The doctored image depicted Goldberg wearing a shirt with a graphic image of President Trump shooting himself, with his 2016 campaign slogan, "Make America Great Again", written underneath. However, the original photo, taken at the 2017 Women's March, showed Goldberg wearing a shirt that read: "And you thought I was a nasty woman before? Buckle up, buttercup."

In response to Barr's retweet, Goldberg called out the comedian on an episode of "The View", displaying the altered photo alongside the original, unedited picture. Goldberg criticised Barr, saying:

> "Just because you were caught with your pants down, don’t try to drag other people down with you... I didn’t fake my shirt, someone else faked my shirt. But that’s your tweet. That tweet came from you. So that’s yours. You did this to yourself."

Barr eventually took down the retweet.

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