Fact check: What are the allegations of Donald Trump cheating on his SATs?

1. Summary of the results

The allegations that Donald Trump cheated on his SATs come from multiple family sources and have been corroborated by different accounts. Mary Trump, Donald Trump's niece, alleged in her book that Trump paid a friend to take the SAT for him to help him get into the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School ^{[1] [2]}. This claim gained additional credibility when Maryanne Trump Barry, Donald Trump's sister, was secretly recorded stating "He got into University of Pennsylvania because he had somebody take the exams" ^{[3] [4]}.

The allegations prompted Wharton professors to demand an investigation into the claim ^{[1] [5]}, though the university ultimately rejected the demand due to the incident occurring too far in the past ^[1]. Additional context reveals that Trump did not graduate with honors from Wharton ^[2], and that Michael Cohen, Trump's former lawyer, testified that Trump directed him to threaten Trump's high school, colleges, and the College Board not to release his grades or SAT scores ^[6]. Fordham University confirmed receiving a letter from Cohen threatening legal action if Trump's grades or SAT scores were released ^[7].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

The original question lacks several important contextual elements:

• The allegations come from two separate family members - both Mary Trump and Maryanne Trump Barry - providing independent corroboration of the same claim ^{[1] [3]}
• The broader pattern of alleged academic dishonesty, as one source discusses "Trump's history of cheating and dishonesty" beyond just the SAT incident ^[8]
• The institutional response, including that Wharton faculty took the allegations seriously enough to demand an investigation, though the university declined to pursue it ^{[1] [9]}
• The cover-up efforts, specifically that Trump allegedly used his lawyer to threaten educational institutions to prevent disclosure of his academic records ^{[6] [7]}

Trump and his supporters would benefit from dismissing these allegations as family disputes or unsubstantiated claims, while his political opponents and critics would benefit from the narrative that he has a pattern of dishonesty dating back to his college years.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is neutrally framed and does not contain apparent misinformation or bias. It simply asks about the allegations rather than asserting them as fact or dismissing them outright. However, the question could be more comprehensive by acknowledging that these are allegations from multiple family sources rather than a single claim, and that they are part of a broader pattern of alleged academic secrecy involving legal threats to educational institutions ^{[6] [7]}.

The sources consistently report these as allegations rather than proven facts, though the convergence of testimony from two separate family members (Mary Trump and Maryanne Trump Barry) provides significant corroboration for the claims ^{[1] [3]}.