Horror author Stephen King is often critical of Donald Trump—but now he has aimed his ire at the former president’s evangelical supporters.
Even though President Joe Biden defeated him in the 2020 election, Trump is still attracting new voters. In several polls, the former president and GOP frontrunner is outperforming Biden, who is running for a second term, among voters who did not vote in the last election. Trump also remains popular among many conservative Christian voters, who are expected to dominate the primary elections next year. He aligns with these voters on key issues including abortion restrictions and LGBTQ+ rights.
Religion also played an important role in the 2020 U.S. presidential election. Even though Trump lost, 76 percent of white evangelical voters supported the Republican, according to exit polls from The New York Times. Biden won only 24 percent of those voters but 62 percent of all other voters.
King took to X, formerly Twitter, to highlight his belief that Trump has become some kind of deity among religious groups. Newsweek reached out to a representative for King and Trump for comment via email Tuesday.
“And behold, the Evangelicals of America made a golden Trump, and they did bow down and worship him,” King posted. Like most of his posts on the social-media platform, this one has proven to be divisive.
“We don’t say enough about how hard Stephen King’s working to unf*** the American electorate,” one person wrote in support of the author.
“What happened to thou shall not lie! Just because he goes to church does not make him a good man! He probably lies about going to church. It is hard to believe there are 75 million people believe him. Wow,” posted another person critical of Trump.
A third added: “As someone who voted for him twice (and won’t be doing it a third time), I’m starting to agree with you, Stephen.”
However, others were critical of King, sharing their support for Trump.
“That’s so ridiculous Stephen. Real Christians worship God. I attend church weekly and Bible study. Everyone is more concerned about saving souls than politics. But some are voting for Trump due to his belief in the right to life. He’s also a strong guardian of our nation. No wars and a healthy economy. No one likes Trump’s mouth but I’ll take mean posts over Biden’s woke ship wreck that you’re standing on,” one X user posted.
“Call down Stephen, you’re being ridiculous,” wrote another, while someone else added: “What a bitter old man you turned out to be. Lol [laugh out loud].”
King isn’t the only person who has hit out at evangelical Trump supporters. Peter Wehner, who served as a speechwriter for former President George W. Bush, criticized Christian support for Trump in an opinion piece published in The Atlantic on November 22.
“Far too many Christians in America are not only betraying their humanity; they are betraying the Lord they claim to love and serve,” Wehner wrote.
“Many of the same people who celebrate Christianity’s contributions to civilization—championing the belief that every human being has inherent rights and dignity, celebrating the teachings of the Sermon on the Mount and the parable of the Good Samaritan, and pointing to a ‘transcendent order of justice and hope that stands above politics,’ in the words of my late friend Michael Gerson—continue to stand foursquare behind a man who uses words that echo Mein Kampf [Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s infamous book].”
King doesn’t often hold back when it comes to sharing his thoughts about the frontrunner for the Republican White House nomination and has saidTrump is unfit to be president. On November 23, King shared two posts to X detailing his unfiltered thoughts on the businessman.
“Bob Corker, Republican Senator: ‘Trump has not demonstrated the stability or the competence necessary to be President,'” King wrote, quoting the former United States senator. This is a paraphrased quote of what Corker said in 2017, when he criticized then-President Trump for how he handled the racially motivated protests in Charlottesville, Virginia.
A minute later, King replied to a post from the Trump-supporting Republican Kevin Sorbo, known for playing the title character in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.
“I miss gas being $2.50. Bidenomics,” Sorbo wrote, critiquing President Joe Biden by implying he is tanking the economy.
King shared the post to his X account and added: “Trump claims ‘Biden is going to lead us into World War II.'”
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This story was originally published December 12, 2023, 6:39 AM.
source: star-telegram
