A White House official has apparently responded to comments made by Johnny Depp at Glastonbury Festival about an actor assassinating a president.

The Pirates of the Caribbean star was introducing his film The Libertine when he said that Trump needed "help" and there were "a lot of dark places he could go".

"I'm not insinuating anything - by the way this will be in the press and it will be horrible," he said to laughter from the crowd, "but when was the last time an actor assassinated a president?"

Katherine Faulders, a White House reporter for ABC News, tweeted a statement she said was given by an official in response to Depp's remarks.

"President Trump has condemned violence in all forms and its [sic] sad that others like Johnny Depp have not followed his lead," it read.

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

While the reaction to Depp's comments at Glastonbury seemed mostly positive, others on social media have criticised him for being in poor taste.

The remarks come weeks after a gunman opened fire and injured a Republican congressman, along with four other people, in Virginia in the US.

ABC reported earlier that the US Secret Service is "aware" of Depp's comments.

He is not the first US celebrity to cause controversy by alluding of "assassination attempts" on the US President.

Madonna said she had thought "an awful lot about blowing up the White House" at a rally which took place shortly after Trump's inauguration ceremony.

Snoop Dogg later released a music video where he shot a toy gun at a clown resembling Trump.