What was Donald Trump's major at Wharton School of Business?

1. Degree and major: what Wharton conferred

University and news profiles consistently list Trump’s credential as a Bachelor of Science in economics from the Wharton School, earned after transferring from Fordham University and graduating in 1968 ^{[2] [3] [1]}. Institutional descriptions — such as the White House Historical Association’s biography — also name the Wharton School of Finance and Commerce as his school ^[6]. Multiple modern accounts summarize his undergraduate major simply as economics ^[7].

2. Why the major matters to his public image

Donald Trump has repeatedly touted the Wharton name in campaigns and public remarks, often invoking the “Wharton School of Finance” as shorthand for elite business training; outlets note this has been central to his credibility in business debates ^{[1] [8]}. Wharton’s brand has been “central to much of his mythmaking,” according to critical commentary that links the credential to his public persona ^[4].

3. Disputes and reported controversies around admission and performance

Reporting has documented longstanding questions about Trump’s academic standing and the circumstances of his admission. Some accounts cite former Penn staffers and classmates who either dispute claims he graduated at the top of his class or suggest family influence in admissions, though these are reported as allegations rather than proven facts in the provided sources ^{[5] [4]}. Poets & Quants and fact-checking pieces recount calls from some Wharton faculty to investigate admissions-era allegations, but those reports document debate and criticism rather than university adjudication within the supplied material ^[4].

4. Name usage: “Wharton School of Finance” versus today’s Wharton

Trump and others sometimes refer to “Wharton School of Finance”; reporting notes that the school’s official names have shifted historically and that the Wharton School was previously called variants including Wharton School of Finance and Commerce around the time Trump graduated, which helps explain his phrasing ^[8]. Contemporary coverage also points out that the present-day name is simply “The Wharton School,” though historical naming clarifies why “Wharton School of Finance” has been used ^[8].

5. What reporters emphasize vs. what remains unclear

News outlets emphasize two clear facts from the available reporting: Trump graduated from Wharton with a B.S. in economics in 1968, and he has frequently marketed that credential in public life ^{[2] [1]}. What remains unclear from the provided sources are definitive, independently verified details about his class rank, grades, or the full outcome of the specific admissions allegations reported by some outlets; those items appear as contested claims or calls for investigation rather than settled conclusions here ^{[5] [4]}.

6. Competing perspectives and hidden agendas

The sources present competing framings: some outlets and commentators treat the Wharton degree as an established credential that bolsters Trump’s business bona fides ^{[6] [7]}, while critical voices argue the Wharton affiliation has been employed as “mythmaking” and report calls for scrutiny of his admission and academic performance ^{[4] [5]}. Readers should note institutional pride or alumni interest can motivate some pro-Wharton representations, while political opponents and critics may amplify allegations that undercut the same credential; the provided sources reflect both tendencies ^{[1] [4]}.

7. Bottom line for your question

If your single factual question is “What was Donald Trump’s major at Wharton?” the direct answer in the reporting is: economics — he graduated with a Bachelor of Science in economics from Wharton in May 1968 ^{[2] [3] [1]}. For broader context about how that degree has been used rhetorically and the controversies reported around his time at Wharton, see the cited articles that document both promotion of the credential and contested claims about admission and academic standing ^{[1] [4] [5]}.