Stephen King draws chilling parallels between Donald Trump and his horror fiction.
Stephen King has penned a staggering number of books (77 and counting), so it was only a matter of time before one of them echoed reality. Ironically, his most prophetic work might be *The Dead Zone*, which tells the story of a man who awakens from a coma with the ability to foresee the future. In this 1979 thriller, the protagonist envisions a scenario where a deranged U.S. president threatens to bring about nuclear disaster.
If that sounds eerily familiar, you’re not alone. King himself highlighted the parallels between *The Dead Zone* and recent actions by President Donald Trump regarding the Iran situation. While Trump hasn’t explicitly threatened nuclear action, he did post on Truth Social that if Iran fails to negotiate with the U.S., “A whole civilization will die tonight.” In light of the president’s aggressive rhetoric, King has joined the chorus calling for Congress to step in, even if it means considering Trump’s removal from office.
“I predicted someone like Trump many years ago, in *THE DEAD ZONE*,” King stated. “So now I’m saying this—in the next 12-16 months, we’re going to find out if the two mechanisms for removing a man unable to fulfill his duties actually work. They are impeachment and the 25th amendment. He is deeply unwell.”
Interestingly, in *The Dead Zone*, the politician in question never actually becomes president. Instead, he is a successful businessman who embarks on a populist campaign for Congress and employs a biker gang to target his rivals. After the book’s psychic hero glimpses a troubling future, he attempts to assassinate the congressman but fails. However, that act is enough to alter the course of events and avert disaster.
To clarify, King is not advocating for the violent actions of his protagonist in *The Dead Zone*. Like many others, he is calling on Congress to exercise its authority and act as a safeguard against the president, hoping to steer the U.S. away from potential catastrophe.
