Trump Claims His ‘Highest IQ’ Came From Uncle Who Taught at MIT

Trump claims his high IQ stems from uncle who taught at MIT, sparking social media backlash. Fact-checking the claim.

October 1, 2026 One Min Read

POLICY WIRE — New York, United States — President Donald Trump recently claimed he inherited the ‘highest of IQs’ from his late uncle, a former professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, during an interview with TIME.

The remark came as part of a broader discussion on AI, media relations, and Washington’s transformation, but it quickly drew attention for its focus on genetics and intelligence. Trump suggested that his uncle’s influence played a key role in his cognitive abilities, despite the lack of scientific evidence supporting such a direct link.

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Dr. John Trump, a respected engineer and cancer researcher, spent 41 years at MIT and was honored with the National Medal of Science by President Ronald Reagan in 1983. However, social media users criticized the president’s comments, pointing out the flawed logic behind attributing intelligence solely to an uncle’s genetic makeup. Trump has previously referenced his uncle’s ‘very, very good genes,’ including during a 2016 campaign speech and a 2024 social media post.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)

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