Stephen King caused a stir when he posted about martial arts movie star Chuck Norris on social media.
“‘America! Respect it, for Chrissake!’ Chuck Norris,” King, who previously said he joined the Democratic Party in 1970, wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on July 4. The post was viewed over 152,000 times.
Norris rose to fame as an actor in action movies and in 2008, wrote a book called Black Belt Patriotism: How to Reawaken America, which is described as a way to “kickstart America’s heart and return us to a country of tradition using practical advice from the Founding Fathers to modern conservatives.”
Norris previously endorsed Donald Trump, but King is a vocal opponent of the former president.
Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images, Gilbert Carrasquillo/Getty Images
Newsweek contacted Norris’ representatives by email for comment.
It is unclear whether the quote attributed to Norris is fact or fiction, with many users questioning it in the replies to the post.
“Did he really say that?” one user, @tm1515152005, asked. As another said: “Take his advice.”
“I [heart emoji] that Stephen King is quoting Chuck Norris! 2 American icons,” user SandiDevine66 said.
“Chuck Norris does not celebrate the Fourth of July. The Fourth of July celebrates Chuck Norris,” wrote @CrazyFenaker.
“I’m here for the Chuck Norris jokes in the replies,” posted @danonthe page.
And @PatrickDoyle_35 replied: “Can you imagine choosing an actor as your guru?”
“America! Respect it, for Chrissake!”
Chuck Norris— Stephen King (@StephenKing) July 4, 2024
King is no stranger to sharing his thoughts on social media from politics to culture and even Christmas movies.
Most recently the author went viral after taking aim at the U.S. Supreme Court.
On Monday, the court ruled former presidents have absolute immunity for official acts but no immunity for private acts and ordered a lower court in Washington, D.C., to try to determine what constitutes an official act.
This decision was related to whether Trump has presidential immunity in the Department of Justice election interference case.
“Thanks to the Supreme Court, the next president will have the powers of a king,” King wrote on Tuesday following the ruling.
“That’s not what the founders intended. Quite the opposite.”
King added: “Three Supreme Court justices—Alito, Kavanaugh, and Roberts—said in their confirmation hearings that ‘no man is above the law.’ But in the case of the United States vs. Donald J. Trump, Trump won.”
However, the justices named by King have made previous comments declaring that in their opinion, nobody was above the law and should not be immune from prosecution.
During his confirmation hearings in 2005, Roberts said: “I believe no one is above the law under our system, and that includes the president. The president is fully bound by the law, the Constitution and statutes.”
Alito made similar statements during his January 2006 confirmation hearings, when he said “no person in this country is above the law, and that includes the president and it includes the Supreme Court.”
“Everybody has to follow the law, and that means the Constitution of the United States and it means the laws that are enacted under the Constitution of the United States,” Alito said at the time.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.