--- title: J.K. Rowling Crticizes Donald Trump With Emerson Quote description: The Harry Potter author just can't seem to stop tweeting at the president canonical: https://time.com/4893163/j-k-rowling-on-trump-emerson/ author: Melissa Locker article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-08-09T15:17:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-08T09:27:55.695Z og:title: J.K. Rowling Just Used Trump's Own Words Against Him og:description: Rowling unleashed one brutal tweet in response to the president og:url: https://time.com/4893163/j-k-rowling-on-trump-emerson/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteae8301e045ffe90/6988c1fc7cdbac3264d57cb5/trump-rowling.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1600 og:image:height: 900 og:image:alt: trump-rowling og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.K. Rowling Just Used Trump's Own Words Against Him twitter:description: Rowling unleashed one brutal tweet in response to the president twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteae8301e045ffe90/6988c1fc7cdbac3264d57cb5/trump-rowling.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # J.K. Rowling Just Used Trump's Own Words Against Him for a Literary Burn > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. 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It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=d85d1b16-c6eb-49cb-8ffa-b6d9d3628985&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Best Selling YA Novels MONEY [Watch (HLS stream): Best Selling YA Novels MONEY](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/3gxeFyDj.m3u8) (1:22)  _Published 2017-04-28. These are the best selling YA novels._ by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Aug 9, 2017 3:17 PM UTC These are the best selling YA novels. by [Melissa Locker](https://time.com/author/melissa-locker/) ## Melissa Locker Aug 9, 2017 3:17 PM UTC White House aide [Stephen Miller](http://time.com/4884808/stephen-miller-immigration-policy-jim-acosta/) may have praised President Donald Trump a great [orator](http://www.newsweek.com/trump-most-gifted-politician-our-time-says-stephen-miller-648424), but that wouldn’t stop _Harry Potter_ author [J.K. Rowling](http://time.com/4881803/j-k-rowling-apology-donald-trump-disability/) from criticizing him. In just two [little tweets](http://time.com/4777090/jk-rowling-trump-lewis-carroll/), totaling less than 280 characters, Rowling managed to target both Fox News and Trump. As the President has been an avid and ardent Twitter user for years, as many have noted, his critics are quick to spread tweets buried in Trump’s [Twitter archive](http://time.com/4860529/donald-trump-tweets-poll-approval/). Rowling seems to have done a little Twitter archaeology to unearth Trump quoting the author and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson: > [](https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/223512061186031616) She responded with an ex post facto zinger: > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/895154523945218048) Trump wasn’t the only target of [Rowling’s](http://time.com/4765203/j-k-rowling-donald-trump-third-person-tweet/) fiery tweets, though. She also aimed for Fox News after they quoted Trump’s political advisor Stephen Miller. > [](https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/895081686681124864) Rowling retorted with a few words that harked back to the age of great orators (or possibly _The Hunger Games_): > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/895099314606886914) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4893163/j-k-rowling-on-trump-emerson/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4893163/j-k-rowling-on-trump-emerson/"},"headline":"J.K. 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