Fact check: Are Donald Trump's college transcripts publicly available and what do they show?

1. Summary of the results

Donald Trump's college transcripts are definitively not publicly available ^[1]. Multiple sources confirm that Michael Cohen, Trump's former attorney, sent threatening letters to Trump's educational institutions, including Fordham University and the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School, to prevent the release of his academic records ^{[1] [2]}. Fordham University has officially confirmed receiving such threats and stated they are legally bound to protect student records under federal law ^[2].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• Trump attended Fordham University for two years before transferring to the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania ^[1]
• A fake report card showing a 1.28 GPA at Fordham circulated on social media, but was officially debunked by Fordham University spokesman Bob Howe ^{[3] [4]}
• The forged document was proven fake partly because it listed Trump's childhood home address ^[3]
• Trump did not graduate with honors from Wharton, which is notable given that he had previously criticized President Obama's academic record ^[1]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question itself is neutral, but there are several potential sources of misinformation surrounding this topic:

• Social media disinformation: False documents purporting to be Trump's transcripts have been circulated and definitively proven fake ^{[3] [4]}
• Political motivations: The context suggests that both supporters and critics of Trump have financial and political interests in either protecting or exposing his academic records:
• Trump's team benefits from keeping the records private, especially given his criticism of other politicians' academic achievements ^[1]
• Critics benefit from spreading unverified claims about poor academic performance, as evidenced by the circulation of fake transcripts ^{[4] [3]}
• Educational institutions benefit from maintaining their reputation for protecting student privacy, regardless of the student's public status ^[2]