# Seriously, is Trump a Functional Illiterate? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 14, 2017, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819 "2017-02-14T15:19:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Sarahfeena](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sarahfeena/32/519_2.png) [@Sarahfeena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sarahfeena)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/61 "2017-02-14T23:00:04Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > Yes it is. There’s no shortage of privkids who are dumb as rocks and never accomplish much of anything outside the family safety net, with Ivied degrees on the wall. Whether it’s just influence, or tutors, or cheating, or outright “buying” the degree, it may be very selective but it’s not rare. > > See above post; Trump is not stupid, but he has some kind of information-processing limitations that money let him survive with. Not the first. Not the last. Not something we really want in a Chief Executive, either. Information-processing limitations that are actually learning disabilities are not (or should not be) a barrier to legitimately graduating from an Ivy-league or any other university. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/62 "2017-02-14T23:20:38Z")
> [@Sarahfeena](#): > > Information-processing limitations that are actually learning disabilities are not (or should not be) a barrier to legitimately graduating from an Ivy-league or any other university. True, but if Trump is impaired now he is very unlikely to have been unimpaired in college. (Nor did he have any kind of “reading assistant,” the other path to success for those afflicted with reading or learning disabilities. Not that we know of.) It can’t be both, is what I mean. ---
**Author:** ![greenmario](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/97f17d/32.png) [@greenmario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/greenmario)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/63 "2017-02-14T23:45:58Z")
I was wondering is the birther movement could be topped but literacy truthers might take the cake. ---
**Author:** ![pidgeon92](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/50afbb/32.png) [@pidgeon92](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pidgeon92)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2017, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/64 "2017-02-14T23:46:34Z")
I firmly believe he is suffering from dementia. My dad started out just like the way Trump is behaving. Flip-flopping opinions in the same conversation. Frequent topic changes. Difficulty comprehending forms and other written materials. This was about three years ago. Now what comes out of his mouth is mostly gibberish, he cannot hold any kind of conversation, and the ability to comprehend anything he reads is mostly gone. ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/65 "2017-02-15T00:28:41Z")
I know for a fact that you can bribe your way into Wharton. My cousin did it. All it took was a $10,000 (in 1950 dollars, though) donation to get him in. To get him out probably took a lot of tutoring. Maybe some cheating, although I cannot attest to that. I don’t actually think Trump is illiterate, but I think his reading skills have deteriorated badly in nearly 50 years since he graduated. The surprise is that he could concentrate enough for the tutoring to help. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 12:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/66 "2017-02-15T00:44:46Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > I don’t know how you could find out, short of dropping by the Oval and giving him a reading test. But I don’t find it at all hard to believe that an arrogant rich man’s arrogant kid grew up without ever really learning to read and process written information when he could just bluster, wave his hands and get other people to do everything, then tell him about it. > > And it explains much about his bizarre processes and actions. I met a rich guy’s kid once (the rich guy isn’t as rich as Trump but he’s got plen-ty) who at age 19 did not know things put in the mail must have postage. He thought mail service was free. I didn’t quite believe this when he was confused about it so I asked him didn’t he ever notice those little square things on, like, envelopes or the labels on the corners of packages. First he said he never really noticed, then when I pointed it out to him on actual mail he said something like “I don’t know, I guess I’d figure it was just for decoration.” This is a 100% true story! :smack: There were probably lots of other things this kid was completely ignorant about because of never “needing” to know. We probably all have heard of or even know someone who, say, doesn’t know how to write a check “these days” but this kid’s bafflement over needing to stamp a letter really blew my mind for some reason. It made me think of a time I asked a former boyfriend the last time he went shopping (he frequented restaurants ALL THE TIME). He couldn’t remember. I asked how much he thought a pound of chicken costs. He said, “Let’s see, about $30?” :eek: Or how about the infamous photo op of one of the Bushes in a grocery store not knowing how to scan an item at the checkout. I get it, you have servants, but don’t any of these people ever watch tv or movies?!! :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/67 "2017-02-15T00:54:31Z")
> [@pidgeon92](#): > > I firmly believe he is suffering from dementia. My dad started out just like the way Trump is behaving. Flip-flopping opinions in the same conversation. Frequent topic changes. Difficulty comprehending forms and other written materials. This was about three years ago. Now what comes out of his mouth is mostly gibberish, he cannot hold any kind of conversation, and the ability to comprehend anything he reads is mostly gone. Some people I know were speculating about him having some kind of dementia, if not necessarily Alzheimer’s, for a very specific reason having nothing to do with his reading (or nonreading) ability. They were saying how when you see him on stairs or even an escalator he always has a firm grip on a handrail, and how there are articles/profiles even from before this election season that mentioned him not liking stairs, going out of his way to avoid them, and so on. I think one magazine feature was about one of his new restaurants or hotels or something. At some point one of the handlers mentioned that Trump had never been in certain rooms because they’re up a stairway. (Guess no elevator access?) Ok, so one of my acquaintances works extensively with dementia patients and was saying that fear of stairs is quite common in some people even with early dementia. She went so far as to say that in order to prevent people with dementia from wandering off or going into places where they should not be, special dark colored floor mats could be used that the person will not walk on because of their visual/spatial cognitive difficulties, the same ones that make them afraid of stairs. I hadn’t known that before, but I’ll admit I’ve been watching to see how Trump behaves around stairs ever since. ETA: Of course, it’s also perfectly reasonable that any older person, or even not so older!, might be cautious with stairs and always use the handrail. Fear of falling for reasons not dementia related. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Q](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/aeb1de/32.png) [@Lee\_Q](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lee_Q)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/68 "2017-02-15T01:01:33Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > As a former college prof I’ve known Ivy League profs who really, really hate what the kids of the wealthy get away with. > > (Kurt Vonnegut regularly ranted about the special treatment of the rich kids he personally saw while doing the visiting prof thing during his later years as well.) > > They are treated specially. Especially in regards to obvious cheating. The parents pay for “tutors” and others to do assignments, write term papers, etc. Plus there are certain majors and classes that are simple enough for that to be all that’s needed to get by. > > It is a lot like the “special help” athletes get to stay eligible academically. College admins get around the normal rules for students when fame or fortune are involved. > > Trump has language issues. Look at his announcement of his Supreme Court pick. Many people pointed out during the campaign that his speeches were at the 4th grade level or so. > > He clearly is tweeting in his own words. They are English sentences (mostly) but often have grammar problems. OTOH we gotta give slack to tweets. > > I’d say his language abilities: reading, writing, speaking are at the 8th grade level at best. Not exactly functionally illiterate but well below what a PotUS should have. > > The argot of law, executive orders, court rulings, contracts, etc. are beyond his ken. Just a quick note on his tweets – in some interview before he was elected, he said he doesn’t type them out himself, there’s someone whose job is to do that. He literally just yells out what he wants her (I distinctly recall this was a “her”) to tweet. Presumably he only yells when she’s not in the immediate vicinity, but I took from how he said it to mean this person is always nearby. No idea what this means for those 3 and 4 a.m. tweets, as I really doubt Melania is “her”! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/69 "2017-02-15T01:28:57Z")
> [@Lee\_Q](#): > > Just a quick note on his tweets – in some interview before he was elected, he said he doesn’t type them out himself, there’s someone whose job is to do that. He literally just yells out what he wants her (I distinctly recall this was a “her”) to tweet. Presumably he only yells when she’s not in the immediate vicinity, but I took from how he said it to mean this person is always nearby. No idea what this means for those 3 and 4 a.m. tweets, as I really doubt Melania is “her”! 😃 I guess we can take that to mean Melania never gets him to yell. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/70 "2017-02-15T01:32:31Z")
> [@greenmario](#): > > I was wondering is the birther movement could be topped but literacy truthers might take the cake. We can keep it simple. He can read us “Fox in Socks” just like Jesse Jackson once did. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/71 "2017-02-15T01:53:16Z")
I know this will be painful for many of you, but listen to Trump’s acceptance speech and then come back here and tell me you think he’s illiterate. You don’t have to listen to the whole thing. Just listen to the first 4 or 5 minutes. [Speech.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=owuq_An4cnk) ---
**Author:** ![Kelby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/a587f6/32.png) [@Kelby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kelby)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/72 "2017-02-15T02:02:17Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > It’d be nice if we could ignore the Trumpista baiters and not get sidetracked into election arguments just because they can’t get past them. But maybe that’s just me. > > Anyway, I have first-hand experience with illiterate adults no one suspected, as well. I was a bank teller in my youth, and a guy who ran… some fairly complex business and came in all the time brought me a letter about some bank fee or another. We went back and forth about it a little, and I was pointing to the paragraph that explained the why, and he finally leaned in and said, “I can’t read.” This was a white-collar business owner, probably $200-500k annually (this was ca. 1978), no one you would suspect of illiteracy. So it’s out there. > > **I still have no question about Trump’s intelligence except that I don’t think he’s any genius** … but I do think he has some functional/behavioral/cognitive problem with reading literacy. Even if it’s just “because I can,” it’s a little terrifying that we have a President who will not use the one channel that works to learn and grasp complex information. Can you give some examples of what you see as intelligent behavior on his part? I certainly don’t detect much complexity in his spoken or written language and his propensity to lie suggests he doesn’t consider long-term consequences of his statements. He also resorts to playground level insults, reflecting a lack of mental maturity. His “success” can be explained by his inherited life of privilege, hubris, and bullying. I see Trump as a classic narcissist, but am interested in other points of view, because it is clear other people I respect IRL have a completely different view of him. ---
**Author:** ![lisiate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f05b48/32.png) [@lisiate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lisiate)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/73 "2017-02-15T02:08:16Z")
> [@standingwave](#): > > Rich, privileged _and lazy_ is the way I see it. Reading is hard so he avoids it. Sitting in front of a TV holding a remote is much less challenging. And because he avoids reading, it becomes harder. A vicious circle. > > I believe that this might also explain reports of his very short attention span. He never developed the analytical skills to delve into a subject beyond a single sheet of paper with no more than nine bullet points. This is indeed worrisome but had he surrounded himself with good people, we could probably live with it. Instead we Bannon et al. > > My god, it just dawned on me. We elected Chance the gardener: > Steigler: Mr. Gardner, uh, my editors and I have been wondering if you would consider writing a book for us, something about your um, political philosophy, what do you say? > Chance: I can’t write. > Steigler: Ha ha, of course not, who can nowadays? Listen, I have trouble writing a postcard to my children. Look uhh, we can give you a six figure advance, I’ll provide you with the very best ghost-writer, proof-readers… > Chance: I can’t read. > Steigler: Of course you can’t! No one has the time! We, we glance at things, we watch television… > Chance: I like to watch TV. > Steigler: Oh, oh, oh sure you do. No one reads! Are you sure you elected him, or did the Illuminati [select him at Scalia’s funeral?](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bow1ZJTV4L4) ---
**Author:** ![brewha](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@brewha](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brewha)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/74 "2017-02-15T14:01:57Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > this guy isn’t just biased. He’s reaching. > > As poorly as I think of The Donald, I don’t think Pakman makes a convincing case. I completely agree. Pakman made some decent videos during the campaign and made some good points. But, since the election, he’s really been grasping at straws trying to discredit Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/75 "2017-02-15T14:11:18Z")
> [@brewha](#): > > I completely agree. Pakman made some decent videos during the campaign and made some good points. But, since the election, he’s really been grasping at straws trying to discredit Trump. The Drudge effect. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/76 "2017-02-15T14:15:02Z")
> [@Kelby](#): > > Can you give some examples of what you see as intelligent behavior on his part? Not really. It’s just an overall judgment that he couldn’t have reached the goals he has without at least something above average in intelligence. I don’t mean much - maybe 110-115 IQ at most. He certainly hasn’t used it hard, but a truly stupid person wouldn’t be able to do some of the things he has even with billions to burn. He’s one of those “intelligent” people in which the advantage expresses itself entirely as cleverness rather than actual talent or ability. ---
**Author:** ![Paintcharge](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/paintcharge/32/7946_2.png) [@Paintcharge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paintcharge)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/77 "2017-02-15T14:35:15Z")
> [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > We can keep it simple. He can read us “Fox in Socks” just like Jesse Jackson once did. That was [Green Eggs and Ham.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1mqg4C0awA) ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/78 "2017-02-15T14:45:11Z")
I don’t think Trump is illiterate; I just think he’s disinclined to read. Reading requires having an interest in what the author is saying. Trump already thinks he knows everything he needs to know, so why read? > [@Amateur\_Barbarian](#): > > We can keep it simple. He can read us “Fox in Socks” just like Jesse Jackson once did. Have you ever read “Fox in Socks” out loud? That sucker is _hard_ - an entire book of tongue twisters. ---
**Author:** ![Jennshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Jennshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jennshark)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/79 "2017-02-15T14:46:43Z")
I regularly run into college students who read at a “Sally, Dick, and Jane” level. Though I now teach at community college, my experience has been the same at universities - including a Tier One institution. I think the guy has a 4th-5th grade reading and comprehension level, and I don’t think it’s particularly rare amongst adult Americans. Our culture doesn’t put a lot of value on literacy; the average adult reads fewer than six books a year (and my wild guess is the Bible and Woodchipping for Dummies" are the standard fare, not Flaubert). And, yes, (some) legacy and elite students get their hands held throughout college; the best exploration of this is in Tom Wolfe’s “I am Charlotte Simmons.” ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [February 15, 2017, 2:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819/80 "2017-02-15T14:54:13Z")
> [@Paintcharge](#): > > That was [Green Eggs and Ham.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1mqg4C0awA) I knew that. :smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/seriously-is-trump-a-functional-illiterate/779819.md?page=5)