Stephen King's Social Media Rant About Trump Draws Swift Backlash
Left-leaning horror writer Stephen King was met with a torrent of criticism on Monday following a peculiar social media outburst in which he asserted that former President Donald Trump "has never had a child." This claim was immediately contradicted by numerous observers, as Trump is the father of five children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany, and Barron.
King's Controversial Post and Its Contents
The full post by King, shared late Sunday, read: "Trump: Has never had a child. Has been married 3 times. Ran several businesses into the ground. Never ran a home, couldn't make a bed to save his ass. Calls people he works with dumb, losers, etc. Has never done sweat labor. Has never served on a local committee. Has no life experience." In addition to the erroneous statement about Trump's children, other assertions, such as the president having "no life experience," were widely ridiculed by users on the platform X.
Immediate Reactions and Mockery
Trump's eldest son, Donald Jr., was among the first to respond, writing: "Well, this is news to me… unless he means birthed a child which would also hold true for every male ever. TDS is real and it's scary." The comment referenced "Trump Derangement Syndrome," a term often used by conservatives to describe intense opposition to Trump.
Other prominent voices joined in the criticism. The account Libs of TikTok questioned, "Trump literally has 5 kids. What is this sh*t?" Conservative writer Jerry Dunleavy quipped, "Donald Trump, famously childless," while Ryan Girdusky, founder of the 1776 Project PAC, and conservative blogger Bonchie also participated in the backlash. Bonchie humorously asked, "Is there a 25th Amendment for taking peoples' phones away?" referencing King's return to X in 2025 after leaving in protest of Elon Musk's ownership in 2023.
King's History of Controversial Statements
This incident is not isolated in King's recent online activity. Almost immediately after rejoining X, the author labeled Trump "a traitorous, Putin-loving dipshit." In April, King, 78, claimed Trump was "ruining the economy with his stupid tariffs." Just last month, he described United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents as "the American Gestapo."
King's attacks have extended beyond Trump. In September, he falsely alleged that conservative activist Charlie Kirk "advocated stoning gays to death" shortly after Kirk's death at age 31. King later apologized, tweeting, "I apologize for saying Charlie Kirk advocated stoning gays. What he actually demonstrated was how some people cherry-pick Biblical passages." He admitted he had not "fact-checked" the post before sharing it.
Current Status and Background
As of writing, the widely criticized post about Trump remains active on King's X account. The Daily Mail has reached out to King for comment. In a separate post on Monday, King criticized Trump for his repeated use of the phrase "fake news."
Trump's family background includes sharing Donald Jr., Eric, and Ivanka with his first wife, Ivana Trump; having a daughter, Tiffany, with ex-wife Marla Maples; and sharing his youngest son, Barron, with his wife, Melania Trump. This factual context underscores the inaccuracy of King's initial claim, which has fueled ongoing debate and mockery across social media platforms.
