Horror author Stephen King blasted Trump in defense of Milwaukee after the former president reportedly referred to it as “a horrible city” during a private meeting.
Trump’s visit to the U.S. Capitol on Thursday marked his first since the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021.
He met with GOP lawmakers ahead of the upcoming Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where Trump is anticipated to be the party’s nominee.
Punchbowl News founder, Jake Sherman, posted on X, formerly Twitter, that Trump reportedly told House Republicans, “Milwaukee, where we are having our convention, is a horrible city.”
Milwaukee is actually quite a nice place. Trump thinks it’s horrible because HE’S horrible.
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) June 14, 2024
“The Shining” and “Pet Sematary” author who has been a frequent Trump critic on social media, took a shot at the ex-president over the comment.
“Milwaukee is actually quite a nice place. Trump thinks it’s horrible because HE’S horrible,” King tweeted.
The post went viral with more than 786,000 views and over 4,500 comments from critics and acolytes alike.
“More fictional stories from Stephen King. Trump said that crime in Milwaukee is horrible and you know that’s what he said,” one person responded.
“Biden doesn’t even know where Milwaukee is,” someone else added.
“While a fellow Trump hater wrote: “Let’s be honest: Trump thinks Milwaukee is horrible because it has a lot of black people.”
“Same reason he thinks Philly, Detroit, Chicago, and Atlanta are horrible,” they continued. “When *none* of those places are horrible.”
Ultra-liberal “Star Wars” actor Mark Hamil simply replied, “Like.”
Wisconsin Democrats also came out in defense of the city, including Milwaukee’s Mayor Cavalier Johnson, who claimed that Trump’s comments could impact his 2024 election chances.
“In Wisconsin, we are a purple state, and elections are decided on razor-thin margins,” Johnson told CNN’s Laura Coates.
“And so for the former president to call Milwaukee a ‘horrible place,’ that’s insulting the home to roughly 50,000 people who vote Republican if you’re in the city.”
Rep. Gwen Moore (D-Wis.) noted that the city’s crime rate would actually spike when Trump comes to town.
“I don’t know many people in Milwaukee who have 34 felony counts against them. So our crime rate sure is going to go up when he joins us in Milwaukee in July,” she told MSNBC.
Once he’s settled in with his parole officer, I am certain he will discover that Milwaukee is a wonderful, vibrant and welcoming city full of diverse neighborhoods and a thriving business community. https://t.co/KBQY3GL9Te
— Rep. Gwen Moore (@RepGwenMoore) June 13, 2024
Moore took another dig on X, stating that once Trump settles in with his parole officer, he will find Milwaukee to be a vibrant and welcoming city.
Wisconsin Democrats have also retaliated by placing 10 billboards around the city highlighting Trump’s remark.
However, Trump’s campaign clarified he was referring to crime in the city, not Milwaukee itself.
Campaign spokesperson Dylan Johnson called the controversy “a desperate attempt to get likes” on social media, noting that no reporters were present during Trump’s Capitol meeting.
“It’s a total lie,” Johnson said in a statement. “President Trump was explicitly referring to the problems in Milwaukee, specifically violent crime and voter fraud.”
Wisconsin Republicans also came to Trump’s defense, reiterating that he was addressing Milwaukee’s crime rate.
Rep. Derrick Van Orden posted on X, “Lies by omission,” and added a screenshot from a news article stating Milwaukee ranks third nationwide for violent crimes.
President Biden’s campaign responded, saying Milwaukee voters were “fed up” with Trump and MAGA Republicans. They even capitalized on the controversy by launching merchandise promoting Milwaukee as “not a horrible city.”
Trump rebuked the claims on Truth Social labeling them as “disinformation,” which he said was par for the course with Democrats.
“This is false a complete lie, just like the Laptop from Hell was a lie, Russia, Russia, Russia, was a lie, and so much more. It’s called Disinformation, and that’s all they know how to do,” he wrote.
“I picked Milwaukee, I know it well. It should therefore lead to my winning Wisconsin,” he added.
“But the Dems come out with this fake story, just like all of the others. It never ends. Don’t be duped. Who would say such a thing with that important State in the balance?” Trump concluded.
Biden had narrowly won Wisconsin by 21,000 votes in the 2020 election.