Stephen King Riles up Social Media After Controversial Tweet About Donald Trump’s Coronavirus Test

Stephen King stirred Twitter up again this weekend with a tweet about President Donald Trump‘s coronavirus test. King came out swinging when the White House announced that the president had tested negative for the coronavirus. To King, that hardly made him more tempting to hang out with.

King retweeted CNN journalist Jake Tapper on Saturday night when he reported that Trump’s coronavirus test had come back negative. King added a parody addendum: “but tests positive for stupidity.” Of course, it is no secret that King stands against President Trump, especially for those who follow him on Twitter. Even those who don’t have probably seen his posts floating around in the last few years as he quips at the Trump administration’s actions story by story.

Some appreciate the author’s wit, while others are growing tired of the commentary, even if they agree with the sentiment. Meanwhile, there are always those returning to King’s tweets to defend the president, and even some who seem to be seeing his opinions for the first time. They threaten to stop buying King’s books, in many cases.

This weekend, King’s tweet may have had an additional effect due to the coronavirus, which has spurred many people in the U.S. to self-quarantine. Online activity was busier than ever in many corners of the internet thanks to social distancing, so King got a whole lot of replies.

At this point, it seems unlikely that anyone on Twitter will change King’s mind about President Trump. Here is a look at how the conversation around his tweet played out this weekend.

Disbelief

King did not say that he disbelieved the White House statement about President Trump’s negative coronavirus testing, but many of his followers did. People responded saying they could not believe that the president had taken the coronavirus test, or that he had tested negative, if so.

So far, there is no credible report disputing the White House’s statement on the president’s health. Some claimed that the results on the test came back too quickly, but according to a report by Live Science, the test can be completed in a few hours by a dedicated lab staff. With tests hard to come by during the pandemic, many labs are taking a full day or more to get results.

Memes

As always, a new update on President Trump means a flurry of new political memes, each more jarring than the last. Users Photoshopped the president’s face onto the COVID-19 model, and others imposed new dialogue over his picture.

In on the Joke

Meanwhile, many users jokingly carried on the train of thought in King’s tweet, sharing a parody of assertions as if the president or his staff were sharing them. 

No Test Needed

Joking or otherwise, some told King that the “stupidity test” he was referring to was unnecessary. This encompassed both supporters of President Trump and detractors.

Exhaustion

There were some Twitter users in the conversation saying they were growing tired of King’s quippy political commentary. In many cases, these were people who agreed with him in principle, but were finding his tone exhausting. King’s followers said unceremonious goodbyes to these people. 

Defenders

Of course, there were also outspoken defenders of President Trump in the replies to King’s tweet as well. Some were familiar with his political banter, while others seemed to be seeing it for the first time. In many cases, they were fans of King’s work and were disappointed.

Predictable

Finally, for better or worse, some commenters came to King’s post knowing what to expect. They remarked that things played out exactly as they had on many other tweets before them.