Critically acclaimed author Stephen King has called out CNN Anchor Jake Tapper over a colorful item of clothing, resulting in a tongue-in-cheek exchange online in which he asked the host if he'd lost a bet.
Jake Tapper is the lead Washington anchor for CNN who hosts the weekday television news show The Lead with Jake Tapper and co-hosts the Sunday morning public affairs program State of the Union.
King is an avid social media user who is often critical of Elon Musk and has long been a vocal critic of Trump. However, while watching The Lead with Jake Tapper on Thursday he turned his criticism to something different: Tapper's tie.
Newsweek emailed a spokesperson for King and Tapper for comment on Monday.
"What's with Jake Tapper's tie? Did he lose a bet?" King posted to X, his post having been viewed over 415,800 times at the time of writing.
Tapper responded by retweeting King's post and sharing a screenshot of himself while on TV, showcasing the tie King was referring to. The tie in question was yellow with purple detailing that resembled flowers.
"This tie shall forevermore be known as IT," Tapper wrote, referring to King's hit novel. His post had received 209,800 views at the time of writing.
This isn't the only time that Tapper has made headlines recently. In an interview during State of the Union on July 28, Minnesota Governor Tim Walz—who is reported to be a potential running partner for Vice President Kamala Harris—explained to Tapper why he refers to former President Donald Trump as "weird."
On July 21, President Joe Biden dropped out of the race and endorsed Harris following weeks of interparty fighting among Democrats on whether he should pass the torch to the next generation after his debate fiasco against Trump, the GOP presidential nominee.
During the episode, Tapper said he believed Walz was the one who started describing Trump as "weird" and asked, "Why do you think weird is a more effective attack line against Trump than what Democrats have done previously, which is argue that he's an existential threat to democracy?"
Walz responded: "People kept talking about, look Donald Trump is going to put women's lives at risk. That's 100 percent true. Donald Trump is potentially going to end constitutional liberties that we have and voting. I do believe all those things are a real possibility, but it gives him way too much power."
Trump has proudly taken responsibility for getting Roe v. Wade overturned in the summer of 2022, which ended the federal protection of abortion and left the issue up to the states. The former president appointed three Supreme Court justices during his tenure, giving the Court a 6-3 conservative tilt.
Walz continued: "Listen to the guy. He's talking about Hannibal Lecter and shocking sharks and just whatever crazy thing pops into his mind. And I thought we just think we give him way too much credit … Have you ever seen the guy laugh? That seems very weird to me that an adult can go through six-and-a-half years in the public eye, if he has laughed, it's at someone and not with someone. That is weird behavior."
At several campaign events, Trump has talked at length about Hannibal Lecter, the cannibal from The Silence of the Lambs. On several occasions, the former president has also posed a hypothetical scenario in which a boat with a large battery sinks while a shark is nearby.
King has previously said that he joined the Democratic Party in 1970, and he was an outspoken critic of Trump before his election as president in 2016.
On May 24, 2016, King was one of 450 writers to sign an open letter opposing Trump's candidacy, with the author supporting Hillary Clinton's campaign.
Disclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
