In a move that left audiences and fact-checkers stunned, former President Donald Trump has spun one of his most outlandish tales yet, weaving a dramatic narrative that bizarrely connects his esteemed uncle with one of America's most infamous domestic terrorists.
Speaking at a recent event in Pennsylvania focused on energy and innovation, Trump took a moment to, in his own words, "brag just for a second" about his late uncle, John Trump. The former president has frequently praised his uncle, a long-time professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), as a certified genius. But this time, his praise took a sharp, unprecedented turn into the realm of pure fiction.
After laying a foundation of praise, Trump conjured a startling connection, linking his uncle directly to Theodore "Ted" Kaczynski, the man widely known as the Unabomber. The claim, presented as a matter of fact, suggested a previously unknown intersection between a brilliant academic and a notorious criminal mastermind, a story seemingly ripped from a Hollywood script.
There’s just one major problem: the story appears to be completely fabricated. An investigation into the claim reveals no evidence whatsoever to support the notion that John Trump had any professional or personal dealings with Kaczynski. The tale seems to be another product of the former president's well-documented habit of creating dramatic, detail-rich stories that crumble under the slightest scrutiny.
The Unabomber connection wasn't the only embellishment in Trump's tribute. During the same speech, he incorrectly stated that his uncle was "the longest-serving professor in the history of MIT." While John Trump had a long and distinguished career, he was not the single longest-serving faculty member. The former president also misstated his uncle's academic credentials, claiming his degrees were in "nuclear, chemical, and math," when in reality, two were in electrical engineering and one was in physics.
This latest episode highlights a familiar pattern of blending family pride with fictional flourishes to create a more compelling narrative. While the story of a brilliant professor crossing paths with a dark genius makes for a captivating anecdote, it remains just that—a story, with no basis in reality. For now, the strange tale of Trump's uncle and the Unabomber has been filed away as another piece of political mythology.
