Renowned author Stephen King has sounded off on former President Donald Trump following a campaign speech in Michigan that sparked a flurry of reactions online.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) dated October 10, King responded to footage from Trump’s address at the Detroit Economics Club, stating, “This man has entirely lost the plot. DON’T VOTE FOR TRUMP.” This post quickly amassed over 230,000 views.
During the nearly two-hour speech, which was intended to focus on economic policy, Trump meandered through a series of unrelated anecdotes.
One head-scratching moment came when Trump made a bizarre comparison between SpaceX rocket landings and Biden’s campaign rallies during the pandemic. He stated, “And, it’s so simple… This isn’t like Elon with his rocket ships that land within 12 inches on the moon where they wanted to land,” before veering off into a tangent about rocket boosters landing.
Trump then pivoted to mocking Biden’s socially distanced rallies as “Biden circles,” claiming, “He’d have eight circles, and he couldn’t fill ’em up.” His narrative continued to stray as he lamented over the beauty of these circles, all while implying Biden was unable to attract a crowd.
King’s warning is part of a larger pattern of critiques aimed at Trump. Just days prior, on October 5, he expressed on X, “Trump is past his sell-by date. Don’t vote for an old man who won’t release his medical records,” capturing the ongoing debate surrounding Trump’s age and health.
At 78, Trump is now the oldest presidential nominee in U.S. history, and scrutiny is growing over his fitness to serve, especially after President Biden opted out of the race and backed Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. A recent Economist/YouGov survey indicated that about 32% of independent voters think Trump’s age could “severely limit” his presidential capabilities.
Interestingly, only 7% of Americans believe Harris’ age would affect her presidency, with a vast majority considering it insignificant.
Trump’s health has long been a topic of debate. In 2015, his former doctor claimed Trump would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency,” but later issues arose when the doctor revealed Trump had dictated that statement. Most recently, in November 2023, Trump shared a letter on Truth Social claiming his health was exceptional, although its authenticity has been challenged due to a lack of concrete health metrics.