In a surprising social media post on Sunday, horror writer Stephen King weighed in on Donald Trump’s recent tirade regarding Vice President Kamala Harris. The former president alleged that Harris manipulated photos to exaggerate crowd sizes at her Detroit rally, claiming false images of large gatherings were a form of “election interference.”
Since President Joe Biden endorsed her on July 21 and ceased his reelection efforts, Harris has drawn crowds of tens of thousands at various campaign events in cities like Philadelphia and Las Vegas. Her campaign has been quick to highlight these turnout numbers, poking fun at Trump’s events that often feature noticeably empty seats.
On Truth Social, Trump expressed his disbelief over Harris’s Detroit rally, posting: “Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she ‘A.I.’d’ it, and showed a massive ‘crowd’ of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST!” He suggested her rally crowd was fake and that such deception warranted disqualification from candidacy.
King did not hold back in his response, questioning the credibility of Trump’s claims on X (formerly Twitter). “Is this real? If it is, Trump has really lost it,” he remarked. Democratic strategist Adam Parkhomenko echoed King’s sentiments, stating that this bizarre behavior was more frightening than anything King had penned in his novels.
King also took a jab at Trump’s rival turnout, contrasting Harris’ successful Las Vegas rally—where over 12,000 showed up—with Trump’s events that reportedly struggle with attendance, especially now as he faces legal challenges stemming from business record charges.
Trump previously accused the media of bias favoring Harris regarding her crowd sizes, claiming, “When I have a Rally, and 100,000 people show up, the Fake News doesn’t talk about it.” He voiced frustrations about how larger rallies never receive the same media hype as Harris’s events.
Did Harris Use AI to ‘Fake’ Crowd Sizes?
Shortly after Trump’s claims, Harris’ campaign released videos showcasing her arrival in Detroit, filled with supporters as she stepped off Air Force Two. They asserted that over 15,000 attendees were present at the rally, providing visual evidence against Trump’s allegations of a fake crowd.
Fact-checking organization Snopes examined the photo Trump shared and concluded it was likely taken by a person rather than generated by AI, although it noted the image could have been digitally altered.
Meanwhile, throughout the election cycle, Trump has frequently touted the impressive size of his own rallies, often without substantial proof.