Horror writer Stephen King has joined thousands of his peers in demanding a “forceful” response to Donald Trump’s presidential campaign.
The website Lithub compiled a giant petition by the literary world titled “An Open Letter to the American People.” Authors like David Eggers and Amy Tan agreed on Tuesday that Mr. Trump would usher in an age of American despotism.
“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,” the petition reads.
The group plans to continue its efforts against the billionaire on Twitter via @WritersOnTrump and #WritersOnTrump. Over 2,000 signatures towards a final goal of 10,000 was reached within hours of posting the online petition.
Mr. King appears to have done a bit of foreshadowing of his involvement in the effort, tweeting on Monday, “Here’s an idea! Let’s turn America’s nukes over to a bad-tempered a——-e with no knowledge of foreign policy. What could go wrong?”
Other notable authors to sign the petition include Michael Chabon, Peter Ho Davies, Junot Díaz, Karen Russell and Tobias Wolff.
• Douglas Ernst can be reached at dernst@washingtontimes.com.
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