A viral graphic making the rounds on social media purports to show poor academic performance by Donald Trump during his time at Fordham University.
WASHINGTON, DC: Social media users have been sharing an image that allegedly displays a low-scoring academic transcript for President Donald Trump from Fordham University. The post has sparked mixed reactions online, with detractors using it to ridicule the former president and supporters dismissing it as a hoax, prompting a closer investigation into its authenticity.
The Claim: Fordham University transcript shows poor grades for Donald Trump
According to the widely shared graphic, Trump graduated with a low grade point average of 1.28. The document further claims he received a mix of D, C, and F grades across five distinct courses.
One Facebook user sharing the document posted, “Is this a surprise to anyone?” The image has since gained traction across platforms including X and Instagram.
While the post drew immediate backlash from critics accusing him of dishonesty regarding his education, others rushed to his defense, claiming the document is completely fabricated.
Fact Check: The shared document is entirely fake
A review of the evidence confirms the image is fraudulent, as there are no legitimate records indicating Trump performed poorly at Fordham.
Back in March 2019, the university addressed the exact image on X, labeling it a “forgery.” Their official statement read, “The image is a forgery, not an actual Fordham University transcript. Fordham University respects the privacy of its students and alumni, and follows federal law regarding the handling and release of academic records.”
Additionally, the fraudulent document lists an address on Wareham Place in Jamaica, New York. While Trump lived at that location during his early childhood, he did not reside there when he attended Fordham between 1964 and 1966 as a young adult. Furthermore, privacy laws make it extremely unlikely that the university would ever publicly release a genuine student transcript.
Background: Legal warnings issued over school transcripts
During congressional testimony in 2019, Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen stated that Trump had previously instructed him to send warning letters to his former educational institutions to prevent the public release of his grades.
A February 2019 report by PBS corroborated this, quoting Fordham University spokesperson Bob Howe, who confirmed the school received correspondence from Trump’s legal representatives threatening legal consequences if his academic records were disclosed.
The circulation of this fake transcript coincides with ongoing public speculation surrounding Trump’s intelligence and cognitive abilities. While various commentators have estimated his IQ score to generally fall between 110 and 130 based on his educational and career history, more extreme claims regarding both exceptionally high or low scores have routinely been debunked.