Patton Oswalt: Twitter troll who attacked comedian overwhelmed when literally repaid with kindness

'You have humbled me to the point where I can barely compose my words'

He is a comedian known for his acidic put-downs and staunch anti-Trump views.

But when Patton Oswalt was trolled by a Republican on Twitter, the writer and actor came up with a response more suited to a saint than a stand-up.

Discovering his assailant was battling grave health problems, he donated $2,000 towards his unpaid medical bills – then urged his 4.5 million followers to follow suit.

The heartwarming exchange between Oswalt, an Emmy Award winner, and Michael Beatty - a 64-year-old Vietnam veteran from Huntsville, Alabama - was sparked on Thursday after the celebrity posted an unflattering poem about Donald Trump.

Mr Beatty, who had just 11 followers at the time, responded by saying: “I just realized why I was so happy you died in Blade Trinity!"

And that would have been that. “I expected a scathing retort or just to be ignored,” Mr Beatty told the Washington Post on Friday.

Instead, Oswalt apparently read through his troll’s feed, saw he needed $5,000 to cover the urgent medical costs of a recent stay in hospital for sepsis, and decided to donate.

"This dude just attacked me on Twitter and I joked back but then I looked at his timeline and he's in a LOT of trouble health-wise," the 49-year-old tweeted. "I'd be pissed off too. He's been dealt some s***** cards — let's deal him some good ones. Click and donate — just like I'm about to."

The result was that a GoFundMe page set up by Mr Beatty – a diabetic who had spent eight days in a coma with his illness – received $35,000 in just 24 hours.

"Patton,” he wrote in response. “You have humbled me to the point where I can barely compose my words. You have caused me to take pause and reflect on how harmful words from my mouth could result in such an outpouring. Thank you for this and I will pass this on to my cousin who needs help.”

Describing the whole encounter in an interview on Friday, he added: “After today, I tend to think I’m a tempered Republican.

“I’m having to re-evaluate some of the things I’ve gone along with. The biggest thing I learned about [Oswalt] is that he is a man of character.”