Legendary writer Stephen King recently poked fun at CNN’s Jake Tapper over some eye-catching attire, sparking a humorous back-and-forth online. He cheekily questioned whether Tapper had lost a bet, alluding to his unique tie.
Jake Tapper, who serves as CNN’s principal Washington anchor, is known for hosting the weekday news program The Lead with Jake Tapper and co-hosting the Sunday talk show State of the Union.
King, a frequent user of social media and a critic of figures like Elon Musk, has never shied away from making his thoughts known, particularly about former President Trump. However, while tuning into The Lead with Jake Tapper last Thursday, his focus shifted to Tapper’s eye-catching tie.
“What’s up with Jake Tapper’s tie? Did he lose a bet?” King tweeted, a post that quickly garnered over 415,800 views.
In response, Tapper humorously retweeted King’s remarks along with a snapshot of himself on screen, proudly displaying the tie in question—bright yellow with purple flower designs.
“This tie shall henceforth be dubbed ‘IT,’” Tapper quipped, referencing King’s famous novel. His reply attracted 209,800 views as of now.
But that’s not the only story making waves around Tapper lately. During a State of the Union segment on July 28, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz—rumored to be a potential running mate for Vice President Kamala Harris—shared why he labels former President Trump as “weird”.
On July 21, President Joe Biden officially exited the race, endorsing Harris after a turbulent period of intra-party debate among Democrats on whether it was time for a new generation of leaders following Biden’s shaky debate performance against Trump, the GOP nominee.
During his conversation with Walz, Tapper pointedly asked, “Do you think ‘weird’ is a more impactful label for Trump than the usual Democratic narrative about him being an existential threat to democracy?”
Walz responded thoughtfully, “People keep saying that Trump is endangering women’s lives. That’s absolutely true. And yes, he might jeopardize our constitutional liberties and the right to vote. But framing it that way gives him too much power.”
Trump has openly boasted about his role in overturning Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, which stripped federal abortion protections and put the decision entirely in the hands of the states. He appointed three justices during his presidency, shifting the Supreme Court’s balance to a conservative 6-3 majority.
Walz elaborated, “Listen to him. He’s making references to Hannibal Lecter and bizarre scenarios with sharks. It’s pretty crazy how he operates. I also think we give him way too much credit… Have you ever noticed how he hardly laughs? If he does, it’s usually at someone else’s expense. That’s just odd.”
Throughout his campaign speeches, Trump has made peculiar comparisons to Hannibal Lecter, the infamous character from The Silence of the Lambs, and has conjured up strange scenarios involving sharks and sinking boats.
King, a lifelong Democrat since joining the party in 1970, was already vocal against Trump before he was elected in 2016. In fact, on May 24, 2016, King was among 450 writers who signed an open letter opposing Trump’s candidacy, supporting Hillary Clinton’s campaign instead.