Stephen King, the King of Horror, whose works have terrified readers for nearly five decades, now says even his darkest fiction can't rival the reality of Donald Trump's presidency. In a new Q&A with The Guardian, King was asked what ending he would imagine for "Trumpian America." His answer was blunt: impeachment.
"I think it would be impeachment - which, in my view, would be a good ending. I would love to see him retired, let's put it that way. The bad ending would be that he gets a third term and takes things over completely. It's a horror story either way. Trump is a horror story, isn't he?"
The author, who has been one of Trump's most vocal celebrity critics, has never shied away from expressing his disdain for the president. Over the years, King has taken to social media to share sharp assessments, calling Trump "an incompetent asshole" and comparing his behaviour to "a spoiled child" prone to tantrums. In 2022, he went further, accusing Trump of engaging in "criminal behaviour" and attempting to overturn American democracy for no reason other than refusing to admit defeat.
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But politics wasn't the only topic on the table during the wide-ranging conversation. King also discussed his enthusiasm for recent and upcoming adaptations of his work, including The Life of Chuck, The Monkey, and Edgar Wright's remake of The Running Man. While many assume King writes with Hollywood in mind, he insists that's never the case. "I just write what seems like a good story," he said. "Then whatever happens to it happens."
The interview also touched on Stranger Things, the hit Netflix series often compared to King's novels. While the author appreciates the nods to his work, he credits creators Matt and Ross Duffer with crafting something uniquely their own. "They grew up with my material and said, 'We wanna do something like that,'" King noted. "But there's a lot more Duffer Brothers in it than Stephen King. It's good. I like it a lot."
Known for blending horror with sharp social commentary, King has often used public platforms to weigh in on American politics. His latest remarks reaffirm a view he's repeated for years: that the real world can be more unsettling than any fictional nightmare. In any case, whether he's right or not is not for us to decide.
What do you think about Stephen King's comments?
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