Shailene Woodley Responds To Backlash Over Sharing Melania Trump Statement After Donald Trump Attack

Shailene Woodley has finally weighed in on the backlash she faced after sharing Melania Trump's statement about the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump.

On July 14, just a day after the shocking attack, Melania took to social media to express her fear and concern over her husband’s life. Woodley then decided to share the statement, which stirred up quite the buzz.

Months later, Shailene Woodley is setting the record straight amid all the drama.

In a new interview with Bustle, the "Big Little Lies" actress finally spoke out about the backlash, revealing if she felt misunderstood when sharing Melania Trump’s letter about the assassination attempt.

"Literally, I read [the letter] and I was like, 'This is so beautiful.' I was in circles of people that I deeply respect — friends, colleagues, progressive, very intelligent thinkers, shakers and movers — and many of them were saying, 'He missed! F-cking assassin missed! Maybe it was a setup. Maybe it was a conspiracy,'" the actress said. "I was going, 'Have we forgotten that two human lives were taken?' Two people died. That is sad. That is devastating. I could not understand how people were speaking about something with such passion for death."

Woodley pointed out that she "only posted the first page of it because the second page was more political."

"The first page was very much like, 'Look, underneath the political mask is a man, a grandpa, who comes home to his children, his grandchildren, and plays music. The man underneath that mask is my husband,'" she said.

On why she decided to post the letter, Woodley explained it was because she "thought it was a beautiful message of human compassion," but then she forgot about it "because I have a life and I don’t live for what social media says."

"Then a week later, I got a text from a friend that said, 'Are you OK?' I Googled my name, because I’m like, 'Oh f-ck, what did I say?' And of course, there were all these news articles about Melania Trump, and I was like, 'Oh my God, that is now this? Hundreds of articles because I posted about a woman saying she’s grateful her husband is alive? Really?'" the actress, who also called social media "destructive," said.

"It made me shake my head," the actress continued. "If [who I am] is not coming through in the way that I’m intending, I’m not going to participate on social media. I participate in my own ways now that maybe are less public because I want to add to the right noise. I don’t want to add to unnecessary noise."

Earlier this year, chaos broke out at a Pennsylvania rally when former President Trump took the stage. Gunfire erupted, and Secret Service agents sprang into action to protect the 78-year-old former president. A bullet narrowly missed Trump’s head, instead grazing his right ear.

The following day, the FBI identified the shooter as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, who was shot dead by Secret Service agents moments after firing his first shot.

"In order to see the chart, I started to turn like this," Trump said days after the incident as he demonstrated the head movement he made during the rally. "I was ready to begin [turning] a little bit further, which I'm very lucky I didn't do, when I heard a loud whizzing sound and felt something hit me really, really hard on my right ear."

"I said to myself, 'Wow what was that? It could only be a bullet.' And moved my right hand to my right ear, brought it down. My hand was covered with blood," the former President recalled. "Just absolutely blood all over the place. I immediately knew it was very serious that we were under attack."

Shortly after the incident and following a medical evaluation, Trump took to Truth Social to issue a statement.

He expressed his gratitude to the United States Secret Service and all law enforcement agencies for their swift response to the shooting in Butler, Pennsylvania.

"It is incredible that such an act can take place in our Country," he said. "I was shot with a bullet that pierced the upper part of my right ear. I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin. Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening."

In the days following the shooting at a rally for former President Trump, Melania broke her silence to address the incident.

"I am thinking of you, now, my fellow Americans. We have always been a unique union," she began in a lengthy statement shared on Instagram. "America, the fabric of our gentle nation is tattered, but our courage and common sense must ascend and bring us back together as one. When I watched that violent bullet strike my husband, Donald, I realized my life, and Barron's life, were on the brink of devastating change."

She also extended her condolences to the families affected by the violence and praised the swift actions of the Secret Service.