Donald Trump, the former US President and presidential candidate, spoke at a rally in New Hampshire on Wednesday, mentioning his uncle, Dr. John Trump, who he claimed worked at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for 40 years.
On Tuesday night, He asked Rudy Giuliani, “Rudy did you know my uncle was in MIT?”- but who was he?
Who is Trump’s Uncle John?
Dr. John Trump, a professor of engineering and prominent physicist, died in 1985. He specialized in high-voltage phenomena, electron acceleration, and radiation. He also created X-ray generators for cancer treatment and co-founded a company that manufactures generators for nuclear research.
During World War II, Dr. Trump worked on radar research for the Allies and was assigned by the FBI to review Nikola Tesla’s papers and equipment after he died in 1943.
The former president frequently referenced his uncle’s knowledge and accomplishments as proof of his family’s “good genes” and intelligence. He has also utilized his uncle’s knowledge of nuclear physics to explain his positions on nuclear concerns, such as the Iran deal and North Korea, during his time in the White House.
In his address in New Hampshire, Donald Trump stated that his uncle “was a great professor, scientist, and engineer” who conveyed the power of nuclear energy to him “many, many years ago”.
He also stated that if he ran as a liberal Democrat, his uncle’s credentials would qualify him as “one of the smartest people anywhere in the world”.
Donald Trump’s penta praise
This is not the first time Donald Trump has mentioned his uncle in public. A 2016 New Yorker story identified at least five instances in which he mentioned his family’s gene pool through Uncle John, including interviews, speeches, and debates.