The King of Horror has once again taken aim at Donald Trump in a rather viral tweet that adds fuel to their long-standing public feud. Stephen King, the best-selling Maine-born author, even went as far as calling Trump a narcissist and a megalomaniac in his latest tirade. However, King quickly found himself on the receiving end of a wave of backlash from the president’s supporters.
King, 78, took to X/Twitter to criticize Trump over the president’s claims that his polling numbers are stronger than ever, adding in some insults. “Trump’s numbers are in the basement, but he doesn’t care,” King wrote on August 5. He added that, “This narcissistic megalomaniac actually believes his poll numbers are ‘the best they’ve ever been.'”
The It and The Shining author then offered a warning to voters ahead of the November midterm elections. “Next time, be careful who you vote for. Don’t do it casually. It does make a difference,” King concluded. The comments came shortly after Trump insisted on Truth Social that his “REAL Polling Numbers” were “the best they have ever been,” while dismissing unfavorable surveys as the work of the “Fake News Media” and the “Radical Left.”
MAGA came to the rescue
King’s assessment appeared to resonate with some of Trump’s critics, but it also triggered a fierce response from MAGA supporters, many of whom accused the author of being out of touch with voters. “You seem sorta obsessed, do you realize?” one Trump supporter wrote. Another fired back, “I am thankful every day that Trump is president and not Stephen King.”
“You should stick to writing books,” another commenter said, defending Trump’s record on immigration, China and Iran. Others also couldn’t help but generalize their insults towards King, with the usual “The delusional left” remarks. The backlash was hardly unanimous, however. King’s supporters defended his criticism and argued that Trump’s approval ratings reflect growing dissatisfaction with his administration.
Recent polling cited by Forbes has shown Trump facing historically weak approval numbers. A late-July AP-NORC survey put his approval at 33%, while a Quinnipiac University poll placed it at 32%. Trump, meanwhile, continues to reject negative polling and insist that his internal or preferred numbers tell a different story.
The latest clash is hardly the first between King and Trump. The horror novelist has repeatedly criticized the president online, while Trump blocked King on Twitter in 2017. Nearly a decade later, King remains one of Trump’s most vocal celebrity critics, and his latest attack has once again fueled the political drama toward the unlikely feud between America’s horror king and the president.
