Fact check: What professors or classmates have spoken about Donald Trump's time at Wharton?

1. Summary of the results

Multiple sources provide consistent accounts of Donald Trump's time at Wharton, with several key perspectives emerging:

• Professor William T. Kelley made particularly strong statements, describing Trump as "the dumbest goddamn student I ever had" and noting his arrogant attitude ^{[1] [2]}
• James A. Nolan, the admissions officer who interviewed Trump, stated there was "no evidence" of Trump being a "super genius" and later expressed regret about helping him get admitted ^[2]
• Classmate Louis Calomaris remembered Trump declaring he would be "the king of New York real estate" and suggested Trump "wasn't going to have to study a lot" and was pursuing a "gentleman's degree" ^{[2] [3]}

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important contextual elements are worth noting:

• Out of 269 classmates contacted, 74 responded, and 68 of them had never encountered Trump at Penn, suggesting he was not particularly active in campus life ^[4]
• Trump's absence from campus life may be explained by his frequent trips to New York City and involvement in his father's real estate business ^{[3] [4]}
• The university's official records show Trump did not graduate with any academic honors ^[2]
• Wharton itself appears to maintain distance from its famous alumnus, with officials declining to comment ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original question might suggest that there would be numerous accounts from professors and classmates, when in reality:

• Most of Trump's classmates (68 out of 74 respondents) have no recollection of him at all ^[4]
• The most quoted professor is William T. Kelley, with few other faculty members mentioned in the sources
• There might be potential bias in both directions:
• Those who do remember Trump might be more likely to share negative experiences, given the controversial nature of his presidency
• Those who support Trump might be more likely to remain silent about negative experiences