Stephen King takes brutal swipe at Donald Trump as trade war spat escalates

Stephen King has reignited his long-running public criticism of Donald Trump, this time turning to the price of gasoline as the trade war dispute continues to escalate.

His latest remarks also revive a pattern that has repeatedly brought the bestselling author into direct conflict with the president.

The horror writer said he had paid $5.32 a gallon for hi-test gasoline that morning, adding that while he could afford the increase, many other people could not.

He then directed a profanity-laced message at the president, telling Trump to 'take your war and stuff it up your fat and leaky a**.'

King's latest post adds another chapter to a relationship that has largely consisted of the author publicly criticizing Trump, with occasional responses or actions from the president.

Their exchanges have stretched back years, including a memorable clash over Twitter.

Stephen King criticism of Donald Trump

King has repeatedly used social media to criticize Trump’s politics and presidency.

He has previously said Trump is 'worse than any horror story I've written,' while also drawing comparisons between the president and figures from his own fiction.

Among the characters King has linked to Trump are Greg Stillson from The Dead Zone and Big Jim Rennie from Under the Dome. Both comparisons have become part of the broader way King discusses Trump, using his own fictional worlds as a reference point for his political concerns.

The feud became particularly visible in 2017, when Trump blocked King on Twitter.

The author responded with a joke about being unable to read the president’s posts, writing, 'I may have to kill myself.'

King later claimed his own form of retaliation, saying he would block Trump from seeing the film adaptation of It and the television series Mr. Mercedes.

His post said, "No clowns for you, Donald. Go float yourself." Contemporary reporting documented the exchange after Trump’s block.

Donald Trump and Stephen King Twitter feud

King’s opposition to Trump has not been limited to one issue or one period of the president’s political career. He has repeatedly criticized Trump’s rhetoric, conduct and policies, including during Trump’s first presidency.

In 2017, King said Trump’s access to nuclear weapons was more frightening to him than anything he had written in his horror fiction.

The comment reflected the author’s tendency to frame his political criticism through the language and imagery associated with his novels.

The criticism has continued as Trump’s political career has developed. King has also publicly discussed concerns about the possibility of Trump seeking an unprecedented third term.

Yet King has not treated every political dispute as a reason to choose sides.

During the highly publicized fallout between Trump and Elon Musk, he dismissed the clash as a fight between billionaires and said, "The world actually has problems."