Johnny Depp apologises for 'bad joke' on Trump

Johnny Depp on Friday apologised for joking about the assasination of US President Donald Trump.

The famous "Pirates of the Caribbean" star had earlier pondered how long it had been since an actor had killed a US President.

His remarks outraged Trump supportersand the White House described Depp's remarks as "sad".

The actor made the remarks at the Glastonbury Music Festival for the screening of his upcoming 2004 film "The Libertine".

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"President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and it's sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead," the White House said in a statement.

"I hope that some of MrDepp's colleagues will speak out against this type of rhetoric as strongly as they would if his comments were directed to a Democratic elected official."

Depp on Friday said his remarks were not intended to be malicious.

“I apologise for the bad joke I attempted last night in poor taste about President Trump,” Depp, 54, said in a statement. “It did not come out as intended, and I intended no malice. I was only trying to amuse, not to harm anyone”.

At the screening of "The Libertine" when discussion turned to the topic of Trump,Depp said he thought the president "needs help".

"Can we bring Trump here?" Depp asked the audience.

"... When was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"

Actor John Wilkes Booth assassinated USPresident Abraham Lincoln in 1865.

"Now I want to clarify, I'm not an actor," Depp continued. "I lie for a living. However, it's been a while, and maybe it's time."

The US Secret Service said it was aware of Depp's comments but made no other comment.

Some Republicans criticized Depp's comments as part of a grim trend.

"I'm sick of celebrities getting away with such disgusting comments," Ronna Romney McDaniel, the Republican National Committees chairwoman, wrote on Twitter.