It’s well-known that Stephen King is not a fan of Donald Trump, but in case you weren’t aware, the horror icon has posted his third social media slight against the former president this month.
On September 27, the 76-year-old author took to X—the social network formerly known as Twitter—to call the business mogul “Donald ‘The Fraudster’ Trump.”
Since being shared, the post has received 1.4 million views, but as usual, King’s words divided opinion online, with several users defending Trump.
Astrid Stawiarz/Kamil Krzaczynski/Getty Images Entertainment/AFP
“Stephen ‘The Hasbeen’ King,” said Mel Dawghaus.
“Wow. So original and creative. You’re supposed to be this amazing writer, no?” wrote Zno.
“He lives rent free in your head,” said Germanic Fren.
“He hasn’t been president since 2020 Stephen,” commented Steven Steele.
“Stop engagement farming, Stephen. We get it,” said Don.
“Stop, please. You were my hero. I don’t want to hear your political ideations. Don’t go down that road,” wrote Jeanne Bannon.
But other users agreed with King, with user Love Connection calling The Shining writer “My goat” (Greatest of All Time).
“Still working on my Trump list …… let’s see fraudulent charity, fraudulent university, fraudulent business. Am I leaving anything out?” said KempoMaster45.
“That serial criminal liar cult leader is still free and brainwashing people,” wrote Chaps. “That’s why people are focused for accountability. But it is coming. In less than a year, he’s gonna be in prison.”
“There is no way that Stephen King could create an evil character as devious as Donald Trump with the ability to fool millions of people,” said Rick Kepple.
King has been an outspoken critic of Trump since before the 77-year-old was elected as president in 2016. He was one of 450 writers to sign an open letter opposing Trump’s candidacy, with King supporting Hilary Clinton’s campaign.
On September 17, the writer shared side-by-side snaps of Trump with President Joe Biden. In the collage, 80-year-old Biden looks sprightly while riding his bike, while Trump can be seen driving a golf cart and sporting a MAGA (Make America Great Again) cap.
“Biden looks pretty good. The guy on the right is your basic Great American Manslob,” King wrote alongside the photos, with the post splitting his followers.
Some praised the author’s brutal comparison, while others blasted him for “body-shaming.”
On September 27, King dubbed Trump the “Worst. President. Ever” on X, once again causing uproar amongst MAGA supporters.
Since losing the general election to Biden in 2020, Trump is being investigated for 91 charges in four jurisdictions. The counts include claiming that the election was fixed, delaying certification of Biden’s presidency, inciting the January 6 capitol riots in 2020, a purported hush-money scheme and the mishandling of classified documents.
The ex-president and his two sons, Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, are also being investigated in New York for the overevaluation of multiple properties in their real estate empire.
Despite his legal issues, Trump is running for president again in 2024, and is currently leading other Republican candidates by a long way in the presidential primary polls. According to polling analysis site FiveThirtyEight, Trump is polling at 54 percent, more than 40 points ahead of current runner-up Ron De Santis, with 13.8 percent.
Newsweek has reached out to Stephen King and Donald Trump for comment via email.