It was a fright show on social media Monday — and this time the author wasn’t promoting a new thriller.
Best-selling horror writer Stephen King ignited a political firestorm after unleashing a blistering post targeting President Donald Trump’s personal life. In a rant that quickly ricocheted across X, King made a series of eyebrow-raising claims, including the false assertion that the twice-elected president has never had children.
“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 a–. Calls people he works with dumb, losers, ect. Has never done sweat labor. Has never served on a local committee,” King wrote.
He doubled down moments later, adding, “[He] has no life experience.”
The internet didn’t let that slide.
President Trump — father of five — has long been open about his children: Donald Jr., Ivanka, Eric, Tiffany and Barron. So when King suggested otherwise, critics pounced within minutes.
Donald Trump Jr. fired back with sharp sarcasm: “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 popular conservative account Libs of TikTok responded bluntly: “Trump literally has 5 kids. What is this sh–?”
1776 Project PAC founder Ryan Girdusky chimed in: “Um… I’m pretty sure Donald Trump had children.”
Conservative commentator Bonchie added, “Is there a 25th Amendment for taking peoples’ phones away?”
The timing was notable. King’s post landed just as President Trump, now serving his second term, prepared to deliver the 2026 State of the Union address — a constitutionally mandated report to Congress outlining the administration’s agenda and accomplishments.
Critics also noticed something else: King’s remarks appeared strikingly similar to a weekend post targeting Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. A self-described “MAGA mother of three” operating under the handle “Stacy is Right” had criticized the New York Democrat for lacking children, never marrying, never running a business and never holding what she called a “professional job.”
That post declared the congresswoman “[She] has no real life experience. Is a typical deadbeat socialist.”
King reshared the anti-AOC post — then posted his Trump version, swapping in the president’s name.
That didn’t go unnoticed.
“You literally plagiarized an entire post…which was about AOC… and then applied it to Trump…… for whom it isn’t true and doesn’t make any sense. Why are you plagiarizing? I thought you were a writer?” wrote Matt Van Swol, a former Department of Energy nuclear scientist.
For longtime observers, the episode fits a pattern. Since President Trump’s return to office, King has repeatedly used his social media platform to lob political attacks.
In February 2025, he posted: “Just wanted to say that Trump is a traitorous, Putin-loving dipsh–! Goes double for Elon!”
Earlier in the year, he compared Immigration and Customs Enforcement to Nazi Germany’s secret police, writing: “ICE is the American Gestapo.”
He has also criticized the president’s economic agenda, declaring in April, “Trump is ruining the economy with his stupid tariffs.”
King’s representatives did not respond to requests for comment regarding his latest remarks.
Trump Derangement Syndrome is playing out in real time.
