Stephen King has green-lit fans’ suggestion that “Captain Trips”, the nickname for the deadly flu detailed in his novel The Stand, be altered to “Captain Trumps” for the coronavirus pandemic.

The acclaimed writer, who recently saw his book The Outsider adapted for a HBO miniseries, responded to a hashtag on Twitter being circulated among fans.

“Sure, call it Captain Trumps, why not? It fits,” he wrote on Twitter on Thursday (April 9). King is an outspoken critic of Donald Trump.

Sure, call it Captain Trumps, why not? It fits.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 9, 2020

His latest Tweet at the time of writing sees the author call out the US president for dismissing the severity of the virus.

“Trump pooh-poohed the coronavirus and now all Americans are paying a price for his laziness and incompetence. My guess is the initial briefings went in one ear and out the other,” he wrote.

Trump pooh-poohed the coronavirus and now all Americans are paying a price for his laziness and incompetence. My guess is the initial briefings went in one ear and out the other.

— Stephen King (@StephenKing) April 10, 2020

Earlier this week King apologised for the fact that people are likening the COVID-19 pandemic to living in one of his novels.

The US author, who wrote 1978’s The Stand about a viral pandemic, said he’s aware that fans are comparing the current outbreak to the kind of horrors depicted in his books.

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“I keep having people say, ‘Gee, it’s like we’re living in a Stephen King story,’ he told NPR. “And my only response to that is, ‘I’m sorry.’”

The It author was also asked in a recent NPR interview how he is coping with the fear and anxiety related to the pandemic.

“The short answer to that is I’m not,” he said. “What I’m living with and what I suspect a lot of people are living with right now is cabin fever…But to be in the house day after day, all I can say is I’ve made wonderful progress on a novel, because there’s really not too much to do and it’s a good way to get away from the fear.”