Bestselling author Stephen King has again garnered attention on social media after posting a five-word message to his account on X, formerly Twitter.
His Monday post, which as of the afternoon had been viewed over 2.4 million times, read, "I fear for my country."
The message arrived two days after the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. Trump was formally chosen as the GOP presidential nominee for the November election on Monday during the kickoff of the Republican National Convention.
King has previously said that he has been a Democrat since the 1970s and has publicly criticized Trump on several occasions, including through his X account. Several users bashed the "King of Horror" over his message, including some who pointed to King's past comments regarding the former president.
"You helped create the country that you now fear," wrote Chelsea Hall, communications chairwoman for the New York Young Republican Club, who also shared screenshots of King's past attacks of Trump. "Do you also feel responsible for the attempted assassination of President Trump? If not, you should."
"If you are in fear for the country right now, it's because you voted for Biden," wrote another user on X, who describes themselves as an "American First Conservative."
Conservative content creator Joey Mannarino added, "Then get the f*** out. No one wants you here."
Newsweek reached out to King's representatives for comment Monday.
King recently received criticism after reacting to the assassination attempt on Trump over X, writing on Saturday, "An AR-15 style semiautomatic rifle was used in the Butler shooting. These are the guns the Republican Party—and Trump—want to protect."
Federal investigators said that the gunman, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, of Bethel Park, Pennsylvania, used a .22 caliber-fitted AR-15-style rifle and fired from a rooftop near Trump's rally. Crooks was shot dead by Secret Service agents moments after firing his weapon. One rally spectator was killed and two individuals were seriously wounded in the shooting. Trump was left with an injury to his ear.
King's post about the shooting was bashed by another user, who wrote, "For a fiction writer, Stephen King knows little about this subject. Stay in your fictional lane."
The author responded: "Here's what I know, as a responsible gun owner: Those people would be alive and Trump would be unwounded if all that crazy kid had access to was a butcher knife.
"Don't tell me to stay in my f****** lane," King added. "I'm an American. Are you, or are you a bot?"
Update 07/15/24 6:40 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
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