Stephen King among writers opposing Donald Trump

Stephen King is one of hundreds of resident authors in the US to have signed an open letter, addressed to "the American People", expressing their opposition to Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

The letter, published on ipetition and in the Financial Times' "literary hub", lists a number of reasons for which the 450 signatories "as a matter of conscience, oppose, unequivocally" Trump's candidacy for the presidency.

The petition has been signed by US literary greats including 10 Pulitzer winners, such as Jennifer Egan (2011, A Visit from the Goon Squad, Corsair), Geraldine Brooks (2005, March, Harper Perennial) and Junot Díaz (2008, Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Faber & Faber), as well as acclaimed writers Dave Eggers, Amy Tan, Stephen Elliott, and Jonathan Lethem.

The letter begins, "as writers, we are particularly aware of the many ways that language can be abused in the name of power...Any democracy worthy of the name rests on pluralism, welcomes principled disagreement, and achieves consensus through reasoned debate".

The writers add: "American history, despite periods of nativism and bigotry, has from the first been a grand experiment in bringing people of different backgrounds together, not pitting them against one another".

They assert "knowledge, experience, flexibility, and historical awareness are indispensable in a leader" and "neither wealth nor celebrity qualifies anyone to speak for the United States, to lead its military, to maintain its alliances, or to represent its people".

The group conclude with questioning the reason for Trump's rise in popularity: "Because the rise of a political candidate who deliberately appeals to the basest and most violent elements in society, who encourages aggression among his followers, shouts down opponents, intimidates dissenters, and denigrates women and minorities, demands, from each of us, an immediate and forceful response".

The ipetition is available to be signed here and currently counts 7,996 signatures. Its goal is to reach 10,000 signatures.