Stephen King is a prolific novelist, but every time he ventures into political commentary, he proves that fiction may be the only realm he should occupy. His latest blunder came in response to Elon Musk, who pointed out that Bill Clinton’s policies as president were, in many ways, indistinguishable from today’s MAGA platform. King fired back on X: “You’re kidding, right? So far as I know, Clinton never sent National Guard troops to southern cities.”
It was a smug retort — and a historically illiterate one. Because anyone with even a passing familiarity with the events of 1993 remembers exactly where Clinton’s National Guard was deployed: Waco, Texas.
You’re kidding, right? So far as I know, Clinton never sent National Guard troops to southern cities. https://t.co/qjojHm3zsC
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 29, 2025
The Waco siege remains one of the darkest chapters of modern American history. For 51 days, federal forces — the ATF, FBI, and yes, National Guard — laid siege to the Branch Davidian compound. The standoff ended in flames and gunfire, leaving 76 dead, including 25 children. The rationale? That the Davidians possessed firearms the federal government deemed improper, paired with the ATF’s fabricated claim that the group was running a meth lab. That lie provided the legal justification for the National Guard’s involvement.
And involved they were. The Texas Army National Guard conducted aerial surveillance and deployed three helicopters to provide diversion during the initial raid. They also supplied federal agents with tanks, Bradley fighting vehicles, and combat engineer vehicles. These machines were used to smash through walls and flood the compound with tear gas. The result was carnage — one of the most infamous government overreaches in living memory.
You’re kidding, right? So far as I know, Clinton never sent National Guard troops to southern cities. https://t.co/qjojHm3zsC
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) September 29, 2025
To be sure, Branch Davidian leader David Koresh was a deeply disturbed man and a predator. But the government had opportunities to arrest him without a full-blown military-style siege. Instead, Clinton’s Justice Department and its federal partners opted for overwhelming force — force that claimed dozens of innocent lives.
So, once again, Stephen King’s hot take collapses under the weight of history. Perhaps he will walk this one back the way he sheepishly retracted his false statements about Charlie Kirk’s death. But whether he does or not, the point stands: when it comes to federal use of force, Bill Clinton’s record makes Trump look restrained by comparison. And King, for all his talent with horror fiction, should stop trying to rewrite real-world history.
Stephen King is an ignorant retard.
The Texas Army National Guard was sent to the Branch Dividian compound in Waco, Texas to provide logistical and technical support, for the FBI and ATF including equipment, armored vehicles and aerial reconnaissance.
And let’s not forget the… https://t.co/0JSCdMDcHT pic.twitter.com/Upn6HicG9u— Kerry Slone(Stilettos&Shotguns) (@thereal_SnS) September 30, 2025
