Stephen King added his signature to an online Donald Trump protest letter, turning a petition started by authors on a literary website into a huge magnet for the anti-Trump literati, not to mention an instant Hollywood hit just before the California primary.
King, best known for his horror books that have turned into top-grossing movies, signed the "Open Letter to the American People" on
Literary Hub, described by the
Boston Globe as a website about the modern literary world.
The Donald Trump protest letter had gathered signatures of more than 450 "serious writers" by Thursday, and a public spin-off protest letter had been signed by more than 14,000 between Monday and Thursday.
Here's what it said:
"Because the rise of a political candidate who deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society, who encourages aggression among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women and minorities, demands, from each of us, an immediate and forceful response," wrote authors Andrew Altschul and Mark Slouka, who started the protest letter.
"For all these reasons, we, the undersigned, as a matter of conscience, oppose, unequivocally, the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the Presidency of the United States."
Early signers of the letter included "Lemony Snicket" author Daniel Handler, New York Times best-seller Cheryl Strayed, and Pulitzer Prize winning authors Junot Diaz and Jennifer Egan.
Other authors to sign the letter include Ed McClanahan, Jonathan Lethem, Dave Eggers, Amy Tan, Richard Russo, Phillip Lopate, Ann Packer and hundreds more, said
Rolling Stone.
The letter was also posted to the online petition website
ipetition.com,
"If you agree with us – whoever you are, whatever you do, wherever you live – we hope you'll join us by adding your name and the state you live in and help us spread the word," said the letter titled "WritersOnTrump."
King, a Maine resident, has often publicly criticized Republican governor Paul LePage, attacking the state's top politician in January after he made a comment about drug dealers from Connecticut and New York coming to Maine to sell and impregnate white women, all per a
Bangor Daily News blog.
King has been critical of other Republicans and has used Twitter to attack them.
Trump also took a direct hit. Rolling Stone said King tweeted in December, "Donald Trump is like the crazy, ranting uncle you hope your friends will never meet."
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