Social media erupts after Stephen King makes false claim about Trump's family: 'What is this sh--?'

Stephen King has every right to dislike President Trump. That’s the beauty of living in a country with a First Amendment. But when criticism turns into something that’s simply not true, it stops being serious political commentary and starts looking careless.

King recently posted that Trump has never had children. That’s not an opinion. It’s factually wrong. President Trump has five children who have been publicly visible for decades. Whether someone supports him or not, basic facts shouldn’t be up for debate. When a well-known author makes a claim that’s so easy to verify and still gets it wrong, people are naturally going to question the credibility of the rest of the argument.

What makes this more frustrating is that King reshared a post originally aimed at Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and then reworked it to target Trump, even though several of the points clearly didn’t apply. That’s not thoughtful criticism. It comes across as reactive and partisan, the kind of thing social media encourages but doesn’t exactly elevate.

There’s also a bigger issue here. Conservatives are constantly told to “trust the experts” and defer to cultural elites. Yet when prominent figures in entertainment spread misinformation about a political opponent, it’s often brushed aside as just venting. If accuracy matters in journalism and public debate, it should matter for everyone, regardless of party.

King has also compared ICE to the Gestapo and called the president a “traitor” while attacking his economic policies, including tariffs. People can absolutely debate tariffs or immigration enforcement. Those are legitimate policy discussions. But invoking Nazi comparisons or throwing out inflammatory insults doesn’t strengthen an argument. It just deepens the divide.

From a conservative standpoint, disagreement over policy should be grounded in facts and principles. If someone believes tariffs hurt the economy, make the economic case. If someone opposes immigration enforcement, argue it on constitutional or humanitarian grounds. But inventing claims about someone’s personal life doesn’t advance the conversation.

At the end of the day, political discourse in this country would benefit from a little more accuracy and a little less outrage. Disagree strongly if you want. Just get the facts right first.