Author Stephen King has taken a jab at presidential candidate Donald Trump over his recent decision to change the broadcaster and date for an upcoming presidential debate.
Trump announced on his Truth Social platform that he plans to debate Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris, on September 4 in Pennsylvania, hosted by Fox News.
In contrast, Harris’ campaign is advocating for a debate on September 10, to be aired on ABC News, a time slot that was initially reserved for a Biden-Trump debate.
Initially, Trump had stated he wouldn’t debate Harris because she wasn’t the official candidate at that time. He declared, “I’ll see her on September 4th or, I won’t see her at all,” emphasizing the effort and resources invested in his campaign against Biden, who dropped out last month.
King, known for his critical stance toward Trump, called the former president “chickens***” for seemingly avoiding a direct debate with Harris. On August 3, he tweeted: “An elderly man afraid to debate a woman; hoping his base will bail him out. As kids, we called this kind of behavior chickens***.”
An elderly man afraid to debate a woman; hoping his base will bail him out. As kids, we called this kind of behavior chickenshit.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) August 3, 2024
The tweet gained significant traction, racking up over a million views and more than 6,000 shares.
In a preceding post that evening, King commented, “Donald Trump is running scared and trying to back out of the debate he already agreed to and running straight to Fox News to bail him out.”
Harris responded to Trump’s objections regarding the ABC debate, pointing out the discrepancy between his claim of willingness to debate “any time, any place” and his preference for a “specific time, one specific safe space.” She added, “I’ll be there on September 10th, like he agreed to. I hope to see him there.”
Currently, Trump is involved in legal disputes with ABC News, having filed a defamation lawsuit against the network and host George Stephanopoulos in March, related to comments made during an interview.
Stephanopoulos mentioned Trump’s legal issues surrounding a ruling where he was found liable for sexual assault and defamation against E. Jean Carroll, resulting in an $83.3 million damages verdict against him.
As Harris solidified her position as the Democratic frontrunner, King expressed his backing, urging Republicans to “hold your nose to vote for Harris,” noting that “Trump is dangerous” and comparing his behavior to that of a child throwing a tantrum. He concluded, “There’s only one adult in this contest. It’s Harris,” he stated on X.