Donald Trump condemned by Ronald Reagan's daughter for Hillary Clinton 'assassination' comments

Patti Davis’ father survived an assassination attempt in 1981

Patti Davis condemned Mr Trump's willingness to have his supporters chant 'Lock her up!' at rallies (AP)

The daughter of former president Ronald Reagan who survived an assassination attempt has criticised Donald Trump’s incitements to violence at his rallies.

In a Facebook post, Mr Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, wrote that his infamous “Second Amendment” comment - that voters who are in favour of guns could “do” something about his rival Hillary Clinton - was heard by people “who shudder at your fondness for verbal violence”.

"It was heard by your supporters, many of whom gleefully and angrily yell, 'Lock her up!' at your rallies," she wrote.

"It was heard by the person sitting alone in a room, locked in his own dark fantasies, who sees unbridled violence as a way to make his mark in the world, and is just looking for ideas.

"Yes, Mr Trump, words matter. But then you know that, which makes this all even more horrifying."

Mr Trump’s latest controversy was to suggest that the only way to stop his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton from choosing Supreme Court justices would be to shoot her.

"If she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the second amendment people, maybe there is," he said at a rally in Delaware.

The Secret Service responded that it was “aware” of Mr Trump’s comments and has reportedly spoken to him about it since.

Ms Davis' father, the 40th president who served between 1981 and 1989, and three others were shot and wounded by a man called John Hinckley as they were leaving a hotel in Washington DC in March 1981.

All four men survived, but his press secretary James Brady was shot in the head and was paralysed.

"I am the daughter of a man who was shot by someone who got his inspiration from a movie, someone who believed if he killed the President the actress from that movie would notice him," Ms Davis wrote in her post on social media, which has been shared more than 6,200 times.

A federal judge ordered her father’s would-be assassin to be released from psychiatric hospital last month to live full-time with his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he will volunteer several times a week and live under strict rules such as the government tracking his walks and mobile phone activity.

The verbal battle comes just days after former Democratic representative Gabby Giffords, who was shot in the head five years ago, walked unassisted onto the stage at the Democratic National Convention to show her support for Ms Clinton.

"Hillary is tough. Hillary is courageous. She will fight to make our families safer. In the White House, she will stand up to the gun lobby," Ms Giffords said.

The daughter of Arizona senator and former prisoner of war John McCain, Meghan McCain, also stood up for her father last month against the Republican nominee’s criticism that he “likes people who weren’t captured”.

In a tweet in July, Ms McCain referred to the parents of slain Muslim soldier Humayun Khan when she wrote: "I would ask what kind of barbarian would attack the parents of a fallen soldier, but oh yeah it’s the same person who attacks POWs."