Stephen King Tears Into Donald Trump: ‘Past His Sell-By Date’

Amid this year’s presidential election, author Stephen King criticized former President Donald Trump’s age, writing in a social media post on Saturday that he’s “past his sell-by date.”
Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, is set to face off against Vice President Kamala Harris, who became the Democratic nominee after President Joe Biden dropped out of the race on July 21, in November.
King, a vocal Trump critic, has made several warnings about the former president on social media as he previously described him as “dangerous” and a “horrible” person and president.
In his latest X, formerly Twitter, post on Saturday, the author urged others against voting for Trump citing his age.
“Trump is past his sell-by date. Don’t vote for an old man who won’t release his medical records,” he wrote.
Trump has previously declined to release his medical records during past campaigns. In December 2015, Dr. Harold Bornstein, Trump’s personal physician, wrote a letter that said Trump would be the “healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency.”
Bornstein told CNN in 2018 that the doctor’s note he penned had been dictated to him by Trump.
“He dictated that whole letter. I didn’t write that letter,” Bornstein said. “I just made it up as I went along.”
In 2019, then-White House physician Dr. Ronny Jackson held a press conference about an exam that said Trump was obese, saying the Republican had incredible genes and cognitive health. “It’s just the way God made him,” Jackson said.
The former president published a doctor’s letter on his social media platform Truth Social last November. It said that the then 77-year-old’s physical health was normal and that his cognitive health was exceptional. However, this report has sparked speculation, with commentators questioning how legitimate it is as it did not include specific test results or metrics on key health indicators such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels or weight.
In response to King’s post, in an emailed statement to Newsweek Trump’s communications director Steven Cheung wrote on Saturday morning, “Nobody cares about what this moron Stephen King has to say. He hasn’t been relevant in 30 years and is desperate for attention because he’s past his sell-by date.”
The issue of Trump’s age has gained prominence following Biden’s withdrawal from the race and his endorsement of 59-year-old Harris. Harris has since seen a surge in enthusiasm and support, particularly among young voters.
Despite being only three years younger than Biden, Trump, 78, hadn’t previously faced the same level of public concern about his age or cognitive ability. However, as the oldest presidential nominee in U.S. history now that Biden stepped down, these concerns have come to the forefront.
Nearly a third of independent voters believe that Trump’s age will “severely limit” his ability to be president, according to an Economist/YouGov survey of 1,604 U.S. adults conducted on August 2. The poll found that 34 percent think Trump’s age will be a major issue if he returns to the White House in January 2025.
Specifically, 32 percent of independent voters, who could prove crucial in key swing states, believe that Trump’s health and age would affect his ability to fulfill his presidential duties if he enters the Oval Office.
This figure surpasses the number of independent voters who think Trump’s age will have “little effect” (29 percent) or no effect at all (24 percent) on his ability to be president.
In contrast, only 7 percent of U.S. adults believe Harris’ age will affect her ability to be president, with 80 percent saying it will have little or no effect, according to the Economist/YouGov survey.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s post is the latest from King, who joined the Democratic Party in 1970, attacking the former president.
On Friday, King wrote on X, “There’s no convincing Trump voters. I know that, but the man lies like a rug, don’t he?”