After her tweet about President Trump's youngest son sparked anger and resulted in her suspension, Saturday Night Live writer Katie Rich has apologized. Rich says she regrets the tweet that she now calls "inexcusable."
Rich, who's one of around 30 writers listed in Saturday Night Live's credits, issued her apology Monday about the tweet that was evidently meant to be humorous but was widely criticized for attacking a 10-year-old.
A person familiar with the situation tells NPR that the suspension was levied shortly after Rich's tweet during Friday's presidential inauguration, and that the suspension is indefinite. Rich deleted the tweet a few hours after it was published.
I sincerely apologize for the insensitive tweet. I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I'm so sorry.
— Katie Rich (@katiemaryrich) January 23, 2017
"I sincerely apologize for the insensitive tweet," Rich wrote Monday. "I deeply regret my actions & offensive words. It was inexcusable & I'm so sorry."
The tweet prompted an online campaign calling for Rich to be fired.
On Monday, media news site Deadline was the first to report that Rich had been suspended from her job writing for the "Weekend Update" news segment on Saturday Night Live, the NBC show that's often traded barbs with President Trump.
By trying to make a joke about Trump's son, Rich broke a longstanding convention that places the children of politicians — and especially those of presidents — off-limits to ridicule or attacks. In the era of social media, that convention has been tested more frequently in recent years.
In 2014, Republican congressional staffer Elizabeth Lauten resigned after she posted comments on Facebook that sharply criticized Malia and Sasha Obama for their appearance as their father conferred the traditional presidential pardon upon a turkey at Thanksgiving.
After Trump took the oath of office on Friday, those who came to Barron Trump's defense over the weekend included Chelsea Clinton, who wrote, "Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does — to be a kid."
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Barron Trump deserves the chance every child does-to be a kid. Standing up for every kid also means opposing @POTUS policies that hurt kids.
— Chelsea Clinton (@ChelseaClinton) January 22, 2017
