Fact check: "Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had." -William T. Kelley, late professor at Wharton School of Business and Finance

1. Summary of the results

The quote "Donald Trump was the dumbest goddamn student I ever had" is consistently attributed to Professor William T. Kelley, who taught marketing at Wharton from 1951 to 1982 ^[1]. The statement was reported by Frank DiPrima, a close friend of Kelley's, who claims to have heard this assessment approximately 100 times over three decades ^[2]. Multiple sources and classmates corroborate that Trump was an unremarkable student, with James A. Nolan, an admissions officer, stating he found "no evidence" of Trump's claimed "super genius" status ^[3].

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are missing from the original quote:

• Trump's actual academic performance shows he was not on the Dean's List in 1968 and did not graduate with honors ^{[4] [4]}
• Classmate Louis Calomaris specifically described Trump as being "loath to really study much" and coming to study groups unprepared ^[4]
• Trump was reportedly more focused on real estate than academic achievement ^[4]
• Trump has repeatedly claimed to have graduated "first in his class," which is contradicted by the evidence ^[5]
• Trump's lawyer Michael Cohen sent threatening letters to educational institutions to prevent the release of his academic records ^[5]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

While the quote itself appears to be consistently reported, there are several factors to consider:

• The statement comes to us second-hand through Frank DiPrima, rather than directly from Professor Kelley ^[2]
• The quote's harsh language and absolute nature ("dumbest goddamn student") could reflect personal bias or hyperbole rather than objective academic assessment
• Those who benefit from promoting this narrative include:
• Trump's political opponents who seek to challenge his self-proclaimed genius
• Media outlets that benefit from controversial coverage of Trump
• Those who oppose Trump's claims about his academic excellence
• Those who benefit from suppressing this narrative include:
• Trump himself, who has actively worked to prevent the release of his academic records ^[5]
• His supporters who maintain his image of exceptional intelligence and success