JK Rowling apologises over Trump disabled boy tweets

JK RowlingReuters

Author JK Rowling has apologised for incorrectly accusing Donald Trump of ignoring a disabled boy.

A video emerged that appeared to show the US president refusing to shake the boy's hand at the White House.

"How stunning, and how horrible, that Trump cannot bring himself to shake the hand of a small boy who only wanted to touch the president," the author said.

But Marjorie Kelly Weer, mother of Monty, said Rowling's interpretation of the clip was wrong.

The Harry Potter author tweeted: "Re: my tweets about the small boy in a wheelchair whose proffered hand the president appeared to ignore in press footage.

"Multiple sources have informed me that that was not a full or accurate representation of their interaction.

"I very clearly projected my own sensitivities around the issue of disabled people being overlooked or ignored onto the images I saw and if that caused any distress to that boy or his family, I apologise unreservedly."

Rowling didn't apologise to Mr Trump himself.

This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by J.K. Rowling

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
Skip twitter post by J.K. Rowling

Allow Twitter content?

This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.

Mr Trump is said to have shaken the boy's hand as the president entered the room.

Ms Weer wrote on Facebook: "If someone can please get a message to JK Rowling: Trump didn't snub my son & Monty wasn't even trying to shake his hand."

She also said her son was not all that keen on shaking hands anyway.

Rowling has deleted her initial tweets on the subject.

Get news from the BBC in your inbox, each weekday morning

More on this story