Did William T Kelley testify against Donald Trump in a court case?

1. Who William T. Kelley is — and what the sources say he said

William T. Kelley is routinely described in the provided reporting as a longtime Wharton marketing professor who retired in 1982; multiple outlets reproduce an unattributed anecdote that Kelley repeatedly called Trump “the dumbest goddamn student I ever had” and criticized his arrogance ^{[1] [4] [5]}. Those reports trace the claim to friends or colleagues recounting Kelley’s repeated comments over decades, notably Frank DiPrima in some accounts, not to direct quotations from court records ^{[3] [2]}.

2. No evidence here of courtroom testimony

None of the items in your search results report Kelley appearing as a witness or testifying in a court case against Donald Trump. The pieces are retrospective profiles, columns or aggregations of the anecdote about Trump’s college performance; they present the comment as recollection or hearsay rather than legal testimony ^{[1] [2]}. Therefore, the claim that Kelley “testified” against Trump is not supported by the provided sources ^[3].

3. How the anecdote has been transmitted and amplified

Reporting shows the Kelley line circulated through friends, columnists and aggregators: a Wharton colleague or acquaintance is often cited as the source who says Kelley repeated the phrase “100 times over three decades” ^{[2] [4]}. Outlets such as The List, Alternet, Poets & Quants and regional columns reproduce the anecdote or commentary, which has been repeatedly amplified online and in opinion pieces rather than originating in a legal filing or courtroom transcript ^{[2] [1] [5]}.

4. Distinguishing personal recollection from legal evidence

The available sources present Kelley’s remark as anecdote and recollection from acquaintances and journalists, not as documentary evidence like transcripts or sworn testimony ^{[4] [1]}. That distinction matters: courtroom testimony would be recorded, dated and tied to a specific proceeding; these articles do not cite any such record ^{[3] [2]}.

5. Alternative viewpoints and potential motives in the coverage

Some pieces frame Kelley’s comment as a colorful personal indictment that supports a broader argument about Trump’s intelligence or character ^[6]. Opinion outlets and aggregators have an incentive to publish striking quotes that fit their narratives; the sources supplied include opinion columns and aggregation sites, which can magnify anecdote without new verification ^{[1] [2]}. The reporting does not include a counterclaim from primary sources that contradict Kelley’s reputation, nor does it provide Trump-era court records involving Kelley.

6. Limits of the current reporting and what’s not found

Available sources do not mention Kelley testifying in any legal proceeding involving Donald Trump, and they do not provide primary-source documentation such as court transcripts, deposition records or contemporaneous interviews with Kelley directly on the record ^{[3] [1]}. If you want confirmation of courtroom testimony, you will need sources that specifically cite legal filings, docket entries or official transcripts; those are not present in the material you provided.

7. Practical takeaway

Based on the supplied reporting, William T. Kelley is widely cited as a former Wharton professor who made a scathing personal assessment of Trump’s abilities, repeated by friends and columnists; there is no evidence in these sources that Kelley ever testified against Trump in court ^{[4] [2]}. For a definitive answer about legal testimony, consult court dockets or news reports that explicitly reference Kelley as a witness in a named proceeding—those items are not in the current set of sources ^[3].