Horror author Stephen King and hundreds of other writers have signed an open letter “unequivocally” opposing the presidential candidacy of presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump.
In “An Open Letter to the American People,” 400 authors —including King, Cheryl Strayed, Michael Chabon, Jennifer Egan and Dave Eggers — list a litany of reasons why, “as a matter of conscience,” they cannot support Trump’s presidential campaign.
“Because, as writers, we are particularly aware of the many ways that language can be abused in the name of power,” the letter begins.
“Because we believe that any democracy worthy of the name rests on pluralism, welcomes principled disagreement, and achieves consensus through reasoned debate,” the authors continue. “Because American history, despite periods of nativism and bigotry, has from the first been a grand experiment in bringing people of different backgrounds together, not pitting them against one another.”
Other signatures on the letter include those of authors Junot Diaz, Ann Packer, Richard Russo, Amy Tan, Maxine Chernoff, Ed McClanahan and Jonathan Lethem.
“Because the rise of a political candidate who deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society, who encourages aggression among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women and minorities, demands, from each of us, an immediate and forceful response,” the letter concludes.
“For all these reasons, we, the undersigned, as a matter of conscience, oppose, unequivocally, the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the Presidency of the United States.”
Some backers of the letter have previously expressed their displeasure with Trump; in November, Diaz joined 50 other Hispanic cultural leaders in accusing Trump of stoking “physical aggression against Hispanics.”
King has also been a vocal critic of Trump, frequently lambasting the candidate on his Twitter page.
“I can no longer tweet about Trump,” the horror author wrote in December. “That anyone in America would even CONSIDER voting for this rabid coyote leaves me speechless.”
View the full letter and the list of authors who signed it here.
Follow Daniel Nussbaum on Twitter: @dznussbaum
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