Rowling apologizes for claiming Trump ignored disabled boy

LONDON (AP) — J.K. Rowling has apologized for tweets alleging that U.S. President Donald Trump refused to shake the hand of a disabled boy.

The “Harry Potter” author called Trump “horrible” after seeing footage of the president appearing to ignore the child’s outstretched hand during a White House event last week.

But the boy’s mother, Marjorie Kelly Weer, posted on Facebook: “Trump didn’t snub my son & Monty wasn’t even trying to shake his hand.”

Rowling, who has often criticized Trump, said she “apologized unreservedly.” She tweeted Monday that “I very clearly projected my own sensitivities around the issue of disabled people being overlooked or ignored onto the images I saw.”

Re: my tweets about the small boy in a wheelchair whose proferred hand the president appeared to ignore in press footage, multiple /1

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 31, 2017

sources have informed me that that was not a full or accurate representation of their interaction. I very clearly projected my own /2

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 31, 2017

sensitivities around the issue of disabled people being overlooked or ignored onto the images I saw and if that caused any distress /3

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 31, 2017

to that boy or his family, I apologise unreservedly. These tweets will remain, but I will delete the previous ones on the subject. /4x

— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) July 31, 2017

The author has deleted her original tweets on the subject.