After the US president accused his predecessor of wiretapping, author Stephen King mocked Donald Trump with a list of possible Obama conspiracy theories.
The horror-novelist imagined another set of terrifying possibilities that the former president was behind after Trump claimed in a series of tweets that his New York building was tapped before the election.
King, 69, speculated that not only did Barack Obama order the wiretapping and personally install it while his wife, Michelle Obama, stood guard, but Trump's predecessor also stole ice cream and was hiding out in the White House with scissors.
He first tweeted out on Fridaymorning: "Not only did Obama tap Trump's phones, he stole the strawberry ice cream out of the mess locker."
Not only did Obama tap Trump's phones, he stole the strawberry ice cream out of the mess locker.— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 4, 2017
Known for suspense, he later upped the ante and said: "Obama tapped Trump's phones IN PERSON! Went in wearing a Con Ed coverall. Michelle stood guard while O spliced the lines. SAD!"
Then finally wrote: "Trump should know OBAMA NEVER LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE! He's in the closet! HE HAS SCISSORS!"
Obama tapped Trump's phones IN PERSON! Went in wearing a Con Ed coverall. Michelle stood guard while O spliced the lines. SAD!— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 4, 2017
Trump should know OBAMA NEVER LEFT THE WHITE HOUSE! He's in the closet! HE HAS SCISSORS!— Stephen King (@StephenKing) March 4, 2017
King had said the day before that the president's administration reminded him of Tom Arnold's 1996 movie The Stupids.
The film is about a dull-witted family that takes everything literally and stumbles around trying to piece together information, according to IMDb and Rotten Tomatoes.
"All politics aside, the Trump administration reminds me of that Tom Arnold movie, THE STUPIDS. Really, you guys, this is embarrassing," King said.
King doesn't limit his observations on politics to just Trump. The Washington Post reported in 2015 he commented on Indiana's Religious Freedom Restoration Act and the Republican presidency candidates before Trump,
He said in April 2015: "Cruz, Paul and Rubio, all running for President. Hey, I thought I was supposed to write the horror stories."
Trump accused Obama of wiretapping Trump Tower and the Obama administration was swift to strongly deny the allegations.
Obama's spokesman Kevin Lewis released a statement Friday afternoon refuting Trump's wire-tapping claims, which said: "A cardinal rule of the Obama administration was that no White House official ever interfered with any independent investigation led by the Department of Justice.
"As part of that practice, neither President Obama nor any White House official ever ordered surveillance on any US citizen. Any suggestion otherwise is simply false."
However, the statement did not deny that another federal agency may have sought authorisation to listen in on Trump Towers and received it.
Lewis' statement comes shortly after Trump's tweets early Friday claiming that the former president had been spying on him in October, a month before his election victory.
"Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my 'wires tapped' in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!" the president wrote on Twitter.
Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my "wires tapped" in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017
How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 4, 2017