Stephen King debunks rumor that he would name Elon Musk’s first lady Trump

The problem is that it’s not true – well, not entirely. Musk’s Super PAC actually spent $200 million to return Trump to the White House, an extraordinary amount considering Musk had said he did not want Trump to return to power. (Two years ago, Musk tweeted: “I don’t hate the man, but it’s time for Trump to hang up his hat and sail off into the sunset.”)

The King story was also credible because Musk has shown himself to be ultra-sensitive to criticism. Not long after purchasing Twitter for $44 billion, the South African-born and self-proclaimed champion of free speech suspended the accounts of several American journalists and liberal commentators, as well as comedians and ordinary citizens who mocked or criticized Musk. (That included an X account that tracked the location of Musk’s private jet.)

It also seemed real, because King can be a funny guy and he has never made a secret of his antipathy for Trump. But it didn’t happen. As much as King wishes he had called Musk “the First Lady,” he can’t take credit for the joke or jokes that followed — like the coinage of “Elonia.”

“I see there’s a rumor going around that I named the Musk guy Trump’s new first lady,” the author wrote on X. “I didn’t, but only because I wasn’t thinking about it. There’s also a rumor that Muskie kicked me off Twitter. Yet here I am.”

So for now.

Mark Shanahan can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @MarkAShanahan.