Donald Trump’s 11-year-old son Barron reportedly saw his father’s severed head on television, courtesy of a shock-value photo shoot starring D-list comedian Kathy Griffin, and thought it was real.

First lady Melania Trump said that ‘[a]s a mother, a wife, and a human being, that photo is very disturbing.’

‘When you consider some of the atrocities happening in the world today, a photo opportunity like this is simply wrong and makes you wonder about the mental health of the person who did it.’

People close to the Trump family told TMZ that Barron panicked at the make-believe sight of his beheaded dad and screamed for his mother Melania.

‘He’s 11. He doesn’t know who Kathy Griffin is and the head she was holding resembled his dad,’ one source said.

The president lashed out at Kathy Griffin on Wednesday morning, saying she ‘should be ashamed of herself’ for posting video of the photo shoot on social media.

‘My children, especially my 11 year old son, Barron, are having a hard time with this. Sick!’ Trump tweeted.

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Griffin apologized on Tuesday for posting the video following a furious backlash and a hint at an investigation by the U.S. Secret Service.

The controversial entertainer tweeted: ‘I am sorry. I went too far. I was wrong.’

In the video Griffin is seen slowly raising Trump’s head during a photo shoot with infamous photographer Tyler Shields.

She also posted a video promising to remove the offending image after she was lambasted by all sides of the political spectrum, including Chelsea Clinton.

But the apology was not enough to stop the army of critics, both Trump supporters and Democrats from attacking Griffin on social media for the outrageous stunt.

Even her long-time New Years Eve co-host Anderson Cooper said he was ‘appalled’ by the photo shoot, which he described as ‘clearly disgusting and completely inappropriate.’

Meanwhile, the Secret Service made an oblique reference to the controversy on Twitter, reminding everyone that any threats against the president are taken seriously.

‘On it! @SecretService has a robust protective intelligence division that monitors open source reporting & social media to evaluate threats. Threats made against @SecretService protectees receive the highest priority of all of our investigations. #ProtectionNeverRests.’

The agency later released a statement saying that ‘[i]t is always unfortunate when people make statements that could be perceived as threats. We don’t have the luxury of knowing a person’s intent. Each alleged or perceived threat has to be investigated thoroughly which taxes Secret Service manpower and resources that could be utilized elsewhere.’

As the firestorm of criticism surrounding Griffin increased a CNN spokesman said that they are ‘evaluating’ Griffin’s long-time role hosting its New Year’s Eve coverage but have ‘made no decisions at this point’ 

‘We found what she did disgusting and offensive. We are pleased to see she has apologized and asked that the photos be taken down. We are evaluating New Year’s Eve and have made no decisions at this point,’ the spokesman said.

Even former first daughter Chelsea Clinton was quick to express her outrage at Griffin tweeting: ‘This is vile and wrong. It is never funny to joke about killing a president.

Griffin, an outspoken opponent of Trump who is best known for presenting the New Year’s Eve countdown with Anderson Cooper on CNN, is seen holding the head, which is slathered in fake blood.

During footage of the shoot, posted on her own official website, Griffin said: ‘Tyler and I are not afraid to make images that make noise.’

The shocking images quickly set social media alight, with many calling for her to be locked up for supposedly ‘threatening’ the president.

President Trump’s eldest son Donald Jr. also got in on the act, attacking Griffin for posing with a severed fake head resembling his father, saying it was ‘disgusting but not surprising.

‘This is the left today. They consider this acceptable,’ he tweeted. ‘Imagine a conservative did this to Obama as POTUS?’

‘It’s sad that the left today would rather see America suffer and fail than to see it succeed with @realDonaldTrump at the helm. #maga’

In another tweet he demanded to know if CNN would keep Griffin on the air after the stunt.

He also tweeted his thanks to Cooper for his condemnation before demanding to know if the TV host would work with Griffin in the future.

‘Asking for a lot of people. #LMK,’ he added.

Kellyanne Conway‏ joined in, pointing out that the outspoken comic had plenty of time for reflection before she posted the picture.

‘Kathy Griffin did not misspeak or misstep. She plotted & posed for photoshoot. Ample time for reflection/correction,’ she tweeted.

While Mitt Romney denounced the comedian for dragging politics ‘into an even more repugnant & vile territory.’

Sarah Palin, who has long been a target of mockery for Griffin was quick to jump on the bandwagon, branding the post ‘sick.’

‘No one should be shocked at the sick audacity of sick characters. Kathy is a hurting individual. She needs help,’ she tweeted.

Meanwhile on Twitter @nancygolliday said ‘Parading beheading of POTUS makes @kathygriffing a terrorist and an enemy of the state. She needs to be treated as such.’

And Dr J wrote: ‘You’re disgusting. Honor our military but dishonor our President and Commander in Chief? You’d behead our President? Hypocrite.’

Even some self-described liberals got in on the act.

CNN anchor Jake Tapper said: ‘It’s pretty disgusting. I can’t imagine how anybody would think that’s appropriate.’

‘Big time Liberal here – and a Kathy Griffin fan – and I agree,’ said Tanya Crosse. ‘This is not ok and there is no excuse. She should immediately apologize.’

Meanwhile, Simar wrote: ‘We can’t knock the alt right for promoting hate speech & then support Kathy Griffin for promoting violence against the President.’

In footage of the shoot, Griffin is seen joking that she and Shields will have to flee the country once it gets out.

‘We have to move to Mexico today,’ she said, ‘because we’re gonna go to prison. Federal prison.

‘Call your dad, apologize, then let’s you [and me] go to Mexico because we’re not surviving this.’

She’s seen in the footage lifting the grisly ‘head’ out of a metal bowl, then rotating it towards the camera until it hits a spot that Shields likes.

Finally, at Shields’ demand, she drops it to the ground.

In the video Griffin says that ‘Tyler and I are not afraid to do images that make noise. And also he often lights me to the point where I look about 15.

‘But first I’m an artist. But really it’s good lighting.’

On Tuesday afternoon Griffin seemed to want to silence some of the ‘noise’ she’d been so proud of when she tweeted that she didn’t condone violence.

However, that only came as the second part of a two-tweet message that began: ‘1/ I caption this ‘there was blood coming out of his eyes, blood coming out of his…wherever’ Also @tylershields great Photog/film maker.’

The second tweet read: ‘2/ OBVIOUSLY, I do not condone ANY violence by my fans or others to anyone, ever! I’m merely mocking the Mocker in Chief.’

Griffin had posted a video on Memorial Day in which she invited people to give a moment’s silence for those who died fighting for America.

Shields had posted the image a few hours before with the message ‘Friend text me this ‘I hear Tijuana is beautiful this time of year.”

Shields has made a name for himself as a provocative photographer whose images include Lindsay Lohan as a blood-soaked vampire and a KKK member being hanged by a black man.

In 2011 he came under fire for a photo shoot with Glee star Heather Morris in which she sported a ‘black eye’. Critics said that he made light of domestic abuse.

He later apologized after receiving death threats, adding: ‘If you are anti-domestic abuse spread the word about it. Threatening to kill me is not going to help anything.’

Griffin was emulating the beheadings seen in Game of Thrones, according to Daily Wire.

The show came under fire itself in 2011, at the end of its first season, when it featured a shot of George W Bush’s head on a stick.

The wax head was one of a number of severed heads placed atop a castle’s wall; the producers apologized, and said that there was no political intent.

Rather, they said, they had used it because it was one of a number of pre-made heads they had lying around.

The grisly shot was edited for later airings and DVD releases.