Shailene Woodley defends sharing Melania's statement on Trump assassination attempt despite backlash

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Shailene Woodley recently defended her decision to share Melania Trump's statement after the failed assassination attempt against former president Donald Trump. The actress stood by her decision calling the former first lady's remarks "a beautiful message of human compassion."

In a recent interview with Bustle, 'The Fault in Our Stars' actress weighed in on the backlash she faced after sharing the Melania's statement on her Instagram Story.

Answering whether she felt "misunderstood" for her act, Woodley stood by her decision, saying she read Melania's remarks and found it "beautiful."

The GOP presidential candidate narrowly escaped when a shooter opened fire at him during a rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, in July. He survived the attack with a minor injury to his ear.

Shailene Woodley shocked by people's response to Donald Trump assassination attempt

"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***ing assassin missed! Maybe it was a setup. Maybe it was a conspiracy,'" Woodley recounted.

"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," she added.

Though the Secret Service agents immediately shifted the GOP presidential nominee from the scene, the gunshots killed a rally attendee and severely injured two others in the audience. The shooter, Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, was also instantly shot dead by a Secret Service sniper.

The 'Three Women' star noted that she "only posted the first page" of Melania's statement because she found the contents of the second page were "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," Woodley pointed out.

On the second page of the letter, Melania thanked those who came out supporting her husband and suggested that voting for the real estate mogul would help create a world where respect was given the utmost importance and a family-first stance.

Shailene Woodley addresses backlash she received after sharing Melania Trump's letter

For Shailene Woodley, the letter was "a beautiful message of human compassion," which was why she shared it.

She came to know about the outrage when a friend texted her asking whether she was okay, prompting the actress to Google her name to see what she said.

"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 Emmy nominee remembered.

However, Woodley, an open supporter of Senator Bernie Sanders, did not reveal whether her political preferences had changed.

Internet backs Shailene Woodley for standing by decision to share Melania Trump's letter

Shailene Woodley received support online after she disclosed why she chose to share Melania Trump's statement after Donald Trump's assassination attempt. Social media users hailed her for not bowing down to the majority opinion.

"Good for her. It’s about time normal things like being sad someone died are not political," a social media user wrote.

"There’s nothing wrong with supporting an opposing political candidate," another remarked.

"Good for her. I’m glad she has the courage to stand up for herself, as everyone should," one person said.

"She cares about human life, no matter who that is. Seems she's actually sensible," read another response.

"Dear @shailenewoodley you are my hero. In times like these where dehumanization is a requirement, you have shown your humanity. That makes you brave. It makes. you intelligent. It makes you kind. History will remember you well," someone else chimed in.

"Oh look..someone that actually thinks for themself and doesn’t bow down to the mob @shailenewoodley," an individual wrote.

"Wow. Good for her. People have serious issues, TDS you could say. It's amazing how far society has fallen," another user added.

"Good for her! She has a spine and that’s something that is rare these days ….," one person said.

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.