Citing their ability as writers to see “the many ways that language can be abused in the name of power,” a group of leading American writers declared that “as a matter of conscience, [we] oppose, unequivocally, the candidacy of Donald J. Trump for the Presidency of the United States.” They did not endorse either of his possible opponents.

They described Trump as “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.”

Among the better known of the over 4,000 signers were horror writer Stephen King, novelists Amy Tan, Richard Russo, Bobbi Ann Mason Dave Eggers, and Claire Messud, humorist Roy Blount, Jr., and non-fiction writers like Mary Roach and Philip Lopate.

It seems unlikely that many of the signers would vote for a Republican not named Trump. Stephen King, quoted in a Washington Post report, sends tweets like “Cruz, Paul and Rubio, all running for President. Hey, I thought I was supposed to write the horror stories” and “Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration act is gay discrimination, pure and simple. You can frost [dog excrement], but it’s still [dog excrement].”