Fact check: Did trump pay someone totakehis SAT EXAM

1. Summary of the results

The allegation that Donald Trump paid someone to take his SAT exam originates from Mary Trump's book "Too Much and Never Enough" ^[1]. However, this claim is heavily disputed and lacks definitive proof. The White House, through Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Matthews, has categorically denied these allegations, calling them "completely false" and "absurd" ^[1].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements need to be considered:

• The alleged proxy taker was identified as Joe Shapiro, but Pam Shriver, Shapiro's widow, explicitly denies this claim, stating that Trump and Shapiro didn't meet until after Trump's transfer to Wharton ^[2]
• There's confusion about which Joe Shapiro is being referenced, with Mary Trump's associate Alice Hafter-Frankston suggesting it might be a different person ^[2]
• Trump has never publicly released his college transcripts, and was not listed on the dean's list in 1968 ^[1]
• The University of Pennsylvania has a policy of revoking degrees if false information is discovered in admission applications, but no action has been taken against Trump's degree ^[1]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

Several parties have stakes in this narrative:

• Mary Trump, as the source of the allegation, has financial interest in the book's sales and publicity
• The Trump administration has political interest in denying such claims
• Media outlets benefit from the controversy surrounding these allegations
• The claim remains an unverified allegation from a tell-all book ^[1], and multiple sources that typically cover Trump-related controversies don't even mention this claim in their coverage of misinformation ^{[3] [4] [5]}, suggesting they may not consider it substantiated enough to report.