Liberal author Stephen King, a fixture of the anti-Trump left, stunned many of his own followers this week by offering a rare public compliment tied to President Donald Trumps legacy.
According to The Post Millennial, the unexpected moment unfolded on X after United States Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick posted about the newly renovated Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. I stopped by the new Reflecting Pool. It is simply glorious, the secretary said. There were a thousand people everywhere, taking pictures and just enjoying its beauty. Thank you, President Trump, for restoring our citys national treasure.
King, who has spent years vilifying the 45th president, quoted Lutnicks post and responded with an uncharacteristically restrained acknowledgment: Very beautiful. For a writer who has built a parallel brand as a strident Trump critic, the brevity of the praise only amplified its impact among observers on both sides of the aisle.
The reaction from conservatives was swift and laced with disbelief, with commentator Tim Young joking that the only plausible explanation was a security breach. Stephen King's account was clearly hacked, Young wrote, capturing the incredulity of many who have grown accustomed to Kings relentless attacks on Trump and his supporters.
That skepticism is rooted in Kings long record of incendiary remarks about the president, including a 2022 interview with The Sunday Times in which he portrayed Trump as a dire threat to the republic. I happen to think that Trump was a horrible president and is a horrible person, King said. I think he actually engaged in criminal behavior and, certainly, I felt that he was a sociopath who tried to overturn American democracy not out of any political wish of his own but because he could not admit that he had lost.
King doubled down again in February 2026, posting a lengthy screed on X that attacked Trumps character, personal life, and competence. "Trump: Has never had a child. Has been married 3 times. Ran several businesses into the ground. Never ran a home, couldnt make a bed to save his ass. Calls people he works with dumb, losers, etc. Has never done manual labor. Has never served on a local committee. Has no life experience."
That tirade was not only hostile but demonstrably false on basic facts, given that Trump has five children and decades of executive and public experience. While no one expects Stephen King to trade his liberal credentials for a MAGA cap, his grudging acknowledgment of the Reflecting Pools beauty underscores how enduring Trump-era achievements continue to shape Washingtoneven in the eyes of those most determined to deny him any credit.
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