Fact Check: "Donald Trump's mother called him an idiot"
What We Know
In December 2019, a meme surfaced on social media claiming that Mary Anne Trump, Donald Trump's mother, referred to him as "an idiot with zero common sense" and expressed her hope that he would never enter politics, stating he would be a "disaster" in that arena. This quote has circulated widely but lacks any credible sourcing. According to Snopes, there is no evidence that Mary Anne Trump ever made such a statement. She passed away in 2000, and the meme does not provide any context or citation for the alleged quote. Extensive searches through newspaper archives and other publications have yielded no results supporting the existence of this quote (FactCheck.org).
Analysis
The claim that Mary Anne Trump called her son an idiot and hoped he would avoid politics is unsubstantiated. The meme does not specify when or where this supposed quote was made, nor does it provide any credible sources. Given that Mary Anne Trump died in 2000, any comments she made about Donald Trump's political career would have had to occur before that date, yet no such comments have been documented in reputable sources (Full Fact).
The lack of evidence is significant; if such a statement had been made, it would likely have been reported in the media, especially considering Donald Trump's high profile as a businessman and later as a political figure. The absence of any documentation or credible witness accounts further casts doubt on the authenticity of the quote. Additionally, the meme appears to be a fabrication designed to generate sensationalism rather than a reflection of actual events or statements (Reuters).
Conclusion
Verdict: False
The claim that Donald Trump's mother called him an idiot is unfounded. There is no credible evidence to support this assertion, and the quote appears to have originated from a meme without any basis in fact. The lack of sourcing, context, and documentation reinforces the conclusion that this claim is not true.
Sources
- Did Trump's Mom Once Call Him an 'Idiot'? - Snopes.com
- Dubious Quote Attributed to Trump's Mother - FactCheck.org
- Unsubstantiated claim that Donald Trump's mother said he'd be a ‘disaster’ in politics reshared online - Full Fact
- False claim: Donald Trump's mother said he would be a disaster in politics - Reuters
