Horror novelist Stephen King found himself at the center of a social media firestorm Monday after posting a bizarre attack on President Donald Trump that included the demonstrably false claim that Trump has no children.
The facts are straightforward. President Trump has five children: Donald Trump Jr., Ivanka Trump, Eric Trump, Tiffany Trump, and Barron Trump. This is not a matter of opinion or interpretation. It is objective reality.
Yet King posted to X a lengthy screed attacking Trump’s personal life that began with the statement, “Trump: has never had a child.” The post continued with various criticisms, including claims about Trump’s business record, work ethic, and interpersonal relationships, before concluding that the president “has no life experience.”
The response was swift and pointed. Donald Trump Jr., one of the children King apparently believes does not exist, responded with appropriate incredulity. “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,” Trump Jr. wrote, referencing the increasingly common phenomenon of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
The popular social media account Libs of TikTok echoed the sentiment more bluntly: “Trump literally has 5 kids. What is this sh–?”
Here is what makes this incident particularly revealing. King is not some random internet troll operating from anonymity. He is an accomplished author with decades of professional experience and millions of followers. Yet his animosity toward Trump apparently overrode basic fact-checking and rational thought.
This episode illustrates a broader problem plaguing political discourse. The left’s obsession with Trump has reached such fever pitch that prominent figures are willing to make statements that are trivially, obviously false. King could have criticized Trump’s parenting style, his business decisions, or his political positions. Instead, he chose to deny the existence of five human beings who regularly appear in public and on television.
The incident also raises questions about the state of public discourse when cultural figures feel empowered to make demonstrably false statements without apparent concern for their credibility. King has not deleted the post or issued a correction at the time of this writing, suggesting either an unwillingness to acknowledge the error or a belief that factual accuracy is less important than expressing hostility toward the president.
Meanwhile, President Trump continues preparing for his State of the Union address, where he is expected to highlight border security achievements, tax cuts, and economic gains. Some Democrats have announced plans to protest or potentially walk out of the speech, setting up a high-stakes political showdown ahead of the midterm elections.
The contrast is instructive. While the president focuses on policy achievements and governing priorities, his critics are apparently so consumed with opposition that they lose touch with basic reality. Trump Derangement Syndrome, as Trump Jr. noted, appears to be a genuine phenomenon with measurable effects on rational thinking.
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