Kari Lake Welcomes J.K. Rowling 'To the Club' After Stalin Comparison

Outspoken Republican Kari Lake said she welcomed her "sister" J.K. Rowling to "the club" on Twitter, after the Harry Potter author said critics were accusing her of becoming "ideologically Stalin."

Lake responded to a tweet by Rowling, which she made on March 30, early on Thursday morning eastern time after a gap of more than three months.

In recent years Rowling has courted controversy over her views on transgender rights, claiming to be "concerned" about the "huge explosion in young women wishing to transition" with "autistic girls…hugely overrepresented in their numbers."

These comments have found a receptive audience, particularly on the U.S. religious right among others, despite Rowling's fierce criticism of former President Donald Trump and outspoken support for refugees.

On March 30 Rowling shared a screenshot from a Twitter user who posted: "Congratulations on aligning ideologically with Stalin, I guess."

The tweet was in response to the Communist Party of Britain opposing Scottish government legislation which would make it easier for someone to legally change their gender, which left-wing British writer Owen Jones described as being part of "the Stalinist tradition."

Accompanying the screenshot, Rowling wrote: "Very excited to announce that after a long stretch of being Literally Hitler I've become Ideologically Stalin.

"With luck, hard work and your continued support, I believe I can make Vlad the Impaler by Christmas."

She finished the tweet with the "folded hands" and "red heart" emojis.

On July 6 Lake responded to Rowling's post, writing: "Welcome to The Club. Right there with you, sister."

It is unclear why Lake decided to respond to Rowling's Twitter thread more than three months after it was first posted.

Speaking to Newsweek a spokesperson for Rowling declined to comment on Lake's tweet.

Rowling published seven Harry Potter books between 1997 and 2007, which sold more than 600 million copies around the world and were made into a series of top grossing movies from 2001-2011.

The successful author outlined her position on the transgender issue in June 2020, via an article published on her official website.

She wrote: "I'm concerned about the huge explosion in young women wishing to transition and also about the increasing numbers who seem to be detransitioning (returning to their original sex), because they regret taking steps that have, in some cases, altered their bodies irrevocably, and taken away their fertility.

"Some say they decided to transition after realising they were same-sex attracted, and that transitioning was partly driven by homophobia, either in society or in their families."

Rowling's views on transgender rights led to her being accused of peddling "hate speech" by writer Amy Schneider.

Lake lost the Arizona gubernatorial election in November 2022 to Democratic rival Katie Hobbs, though the pro-Trump Republican is refusing to concede defeat and insists the polls were rigged against her. Lake's attempts to overturn the election result have led to a string of legal defeats, and she has since indicated an interest in running for the Senate.