Author Stephen King appears to have deleted old social media posts attacking Dan Bongino, the conservative podcaster who was appointed deputy FBI director by President Donald Trump on Sunday.
Why It Matters
King and Bongino have a fractious history, with a vicious clash on X (formerly Twitter) in which the pair hurled insults at each other during an exchange back in Spring 2023. However, X users who tried to return to view the spat again this weekend have noted that the writer appears to have removed his comments.
It is not clear when or why King deleted his half of the pair's acrimonious exchange online.
Newsweek has reached out by email to King's representatives seeking comment and from Bongino via his website.
What To Know
King is a longtime Trump critic and suggested democracy had been "sold" when the businessman won the presidency in November.
Besides taking aim at Trump, describing him as "dangerous" and a "horrible" person, King has also criticized several of the president's allies, including X CEO Elon Musk, and Georgia's Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Bongino is another Trump supporter who has drawn King's ire online, and the podcaster fired back at the author with a string of insults of his own.
Bongino is a former New York City Police Department officer who served as a Secret Service agent from 1999 to 2011 and ran unsuccessfully for Congress three times. He used to host Unfiltered with Dan Bongino on Fox News before launching his podcast The Dan Bongino Show. He frequently shared his political views on X, which is how his argument with King began.
A screengrab shared by an X user, whose profile says he worked "in conservative media before it went insane," shows the original argument between King and Bongino back in May 2023.
Bongino had posted about then President Joe Biden, branding the Democrat "a disgrace to humankind." King fired back with a laughing face emoji, writing: "Yes. But he's got a real job, not a podcast."
Bongino responded: "Yeah, you're right. Millions of listeners a day on a podcast while you're watching porn in your momma's basement yearning for the days that people actually gave a s*** about your dumb ass. Nice comeback dip****. Get a job loser."
The exchange was widely reported at the time, with many mocking Bongino for appearing to dismiss one of the world's best-known and most prolific authors, who has written 65 novels and novellas over the course of his career, selling upward of 350 million books around the world.
Several of King's stories have been made into movies, such as Carrie, It, Misery, and The Shawshank Redemption, with his work earning him a $500-million fortune, according to Forbes magazine.
Bongino was widely mocked for favorably comparing his own achievements against King's, with others questioning whether he even knew who the author was, and the writer himself saying, "Looks to me like this Dan Bongo person got punked."
Reading through the exchange now, King's part of the exchange has vanished. Instead, a note from X reads: "This Post was deleted by the Post's author."
What People Are Saying
President Donald Trump took to his social media site Truth Social to reveal Bongino's appointment on Sunday, saying: "Great news for Law Enforcement and American Justice! Dan Bongino, a man of incredible love and passion for our Country, has just been named the next DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF THE FBI (...) Dan has a Masters Degree in Psychology from C.U.N.Y., and an MBA from Penn State. He was a member of the New York Police Department (New York's Finest!), a highly respected Special Agent with the United States Secret Service, and is now one of the most successful Podcasters in the Country, something he is willing and prepared to give up in order to serve (...) Fairness, Justice, Law and Order will be brought back to America, and quickly. Congratulations Dan!" He also paid tribute to Bongino's wife and two daughters.
New Deputy Director of the FBI, Dan Bongino, shared Trump's post on X, saying simply: "Thank you Mr. President, Attorney General [Pam] Bondi, and [FBI] Director [Kash] Patel."
Author Stephen King announced he was "leaving Twitter" back in November 2024 saying it had "become too toxic," but returned to the site on February 20, writing: "I'm baaaack! Did you miss me?" He added: "Just wanted to say that Trump is a traitorous, Putin-loving dips***! Goes double for Elon!"
What Happens Next
Bongino will take up his new role, serving under Patel. His critics will be monitoring his performance with interest, and it remains to be seen whether King will comment on Bongino's high-profile appointment.
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