Donald Trump Awkwardly Revisits Old Beef With Obama, And It’s Not What You Might Think
President Donald Trump has once again criticised former US President Barack Obama, this time questioning his intelligence and how he gained admission to some of America’s most respected universities.
Speaking to supporters at a rally in Arizona on Wednesday, Trump suggested that Obama was admitted to university for reasons that had little to do with his academic ability.
Trump told the crowd that Obama “got into college for different reasons than you did,” before adding, “He’s not a smart guy.”
His comments marked another attack on the former president, whom he has criticised repeatedly over the years. However, this time, Trump focused on Obama’s education rather than his birthplace, which had been the subject of earlier claims made by Trump.
During the same speech, Trump also praised his own intelligence, describing himself as a “genius” while talking about cognitive tests he claims to have performed exceptionally well on.
He appeared unhappy that he had not received enough recognition for his claimed achievements before turning his attention to Obama’s academic background.
This is not the first time Trump has questioned Obama’s education.
In 2011, when Trump was considering running for president as a Republican, he publicly questioned how Obama had managed to gain admission to Columbia University and Harvard Law School.
At the time, Trump claimed he had heard that Obama was a poor student and demanded that the former president release his academic records.
“I heard he was a terrible student, terrible,” Trump said in 2011.
He then questioned how someone he described as a bad student could attend Columbia University before moving on to Harvard.
Despite Trump’s repeated criticism, Obama’s educational achievements are well documented.
Obama initially attended Occidental College before transferring to Columbia University, where he graduated in 1983 with a degree in political science.
He later attended Harvard Law School, graduating magna cum laude, an academic honour awarded to students who achieve outstanding results.
Obama has previously acknowledged in his memoir that he was not always an excellent student during his earlier years in education.
However, his later academic achievements, particularly at Harvard, have been widely recognised.
Trump, on the other hand, has frequently spoken about his own education and intelligence.
He attended the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, where he completed his undergraduate studies.
Over the years, Trump has repeatedly pointed to his time at Wharton as evidence of his intelligence and academic ability.
However, his university grades have not been publicly released, leaving questions about his academic performance unanswered.
There have also been reports suggesting that Trump may have received help during his admission to the University of Pennsylvania.
According to a 2001 biography titled The Trumps, an admissions official who had attended school with Trump’s older brother, Fred, reportedly played a role in helping him gain admission.
These reports have raised questions about Trump’s own university admission, although they do not establish that he was admitted improperly.
Trump’s latest remarks have brought renewed attention to the long-running disagreement between the two political figures.
While Trump continues to question Obama’s intelligence and educational background, Obama remains a former two-term US president who completed his time in office without being impeached.
The latest comments also highlight how Trump continues to compare himself with his political predecessors, even years after they have left office.
His remarks in Arizona have once again placed Obama’s university education at the centre of political discussion, despite the former president’s documented academic qualifications.
