--- title: J.K. Rowling Compares Donald Trump to Lord Voldemort description: The 'Harry Potter' author weighs in on a social meme canonical: https://time.com/4140185/j-k-rowling-donald-trump-voldemort/ author: Maya Rhodan article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-12-08T12:33:40.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-05T08:40:18.727Z og:title: J.K. Rowling Just Compared Donald Trump to Voldemort og:description: The 'Harry Potter' author weighs in og:url: https://time.com/4140185/j-k-rowling-donald-trump-voldemort/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4eaef198c9e89fd8/69887449196cf485d40395a2/trump_voldemort.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1749 og:image:height: 984 og:image:alt: trump_voldemort og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.K. Rowling Just Compared Donald Trump to Voldemort twitter:description: The 'Harry Potter' author weighs in twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt4eaef198c9e89fd8/69887449196cf485d40395a2/trump_voldemort.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # J.K. Rowling Just Compared Donald Trump to Voldemort and Guess Who She Thinks Is Worse > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME Newsletters: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition TIME publishes seven free email newsletters, written and edited by TIME journalists, reaching more than 1.1 million engaged readers. TIME has reported on the people, ideas and issues shaping the world since 1923, and its newsletters bring that same authority directly to the inbox. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=24133dbc-b954-41ee-b7d1-fe94addb0ee1&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Apparently Isn't As Bad As Donald Trump [Watch (HLS stream): He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named Apparently Isn't As Bad As Donald Trump](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/bAyHxPZ1.m3u8) (0:46)  _Published 2015-12-08. Trump's recent calls to stop all Muslims from entering the U.S. have prompted JK Rowling and others to compare him to Voldemort._ by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Dec 8, 2015 12:33 PM UTC by [Maya Rhodan](https://time.com/author/maya-rhodan/) ## Maya Rhodan Dec 8, 2015 12:33 PM UTC Beloved author of the _Harry Potter_ books J.K. Rowling has some thoughts on people comparing Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump to the villain in her seven-part series. The [BBC](http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/35036432/why-people-are-calling-american-businessman-donald-trump-voldemort) noted that people on social media were comparing the leading Republican candidate, [who on Monday advocated for a “total and complete shutdown” of Muslims entering the U.S.](http://time.com/4139476/donald-trump-shutdown-muslim-immigration/), to Harry Potter’s archenemy, Lord Voldemort. In a tweet Tuesday morning, Rowling responded sby aying Lord Voldemort, who calls on his followers to exterminate wizards and witches who have non-magical blood (or Muggles), wasn’t nearly as bad as the business mogul. > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/674196610683940864)  Getty Images, Warner Bros ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] Wow, thank you. Thank you so much. [ MUSIC ] Aah! [ LAUGH ] [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4140185/j-k-rowling-donald-trump-voldemort/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4140185/j-k-rowling-donald-trump-voldemort/"},"headline":"J.K. 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