Michael Wolff: Donald Trump’s Biggest Fear Is Being Seen as Stupid

President Donald Trump’s biggest fear is that the world will discover he is stupid, a vulnerability his longtime biographer alleges could leave him exposed to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Michael Wolff stated on the Inside Trump’s Head Podcast that Trump’s unreleased college transcripts might be what Putin holds over him.

College Transcripts Remain Sealed While Speculation Mounts

Trump’s academic records from Fordham University and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School have never been made public, despite efforts to unearth them during the 2016 election. Co-host Joanna Coles noted during the podcast discussion that neither high school nor college transcripts have surfaced, suggesting that if they were good, he would have floated them out there immediately. Wolff claimed that former adviser Steve Bannon also raised the possibility that Putin’s potential leverage on Trump are his college transcripts. According to Wolff, the fear of being seen as stupid plagues the president because he is stupid.

Past Aides Confirm Private Assessments of Intellectual Capability

Wolff recounted an exchange with Sam Nunberg, a former aide to Trump who was fired after racist posts he had made online became public, during the early reporting phases for the biography Fire and Fury. Nunberg expressed incredulity when discussing the president’s intellect, telling the biographer plainly, “He’s an idiot,” which Wolff said suddenly became clear. Wolff expressed shock that someone elected the president of the United States could be an idiot and someone who knows nothing about nothing. The White House did not respond to a request for comment.

Public Boasts Contrast Sharply With Private Allegations

Trump frequently uses social media to trumpet his own intellect, regularly congratulating himself for passing basic cognitive tests and surrounding himself with what he describes as “high quality” people. As recently as Monday, Trump insisted he inherited a big beautiful brain from an uncle who was a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) for 41 years. Claiming he has the highest of IQs and an ability on things that were the new frontiers, Trump maintained that he believes in genetics. These frequent assertions stand in direct contrast to the assessments offered by his biographer and former aides.

Future Podcast Episodes Promise Further Psychological Insights

The discussion regarding Trump’s intellectual insecurities forms part of a broader examination of the 10 things Trump fears most on the Inside Trump’s Head Podcast hosted by Michael Wolff and Joanna Coles. Coles explained that analyzing these fears helps understand why he is as he is, because he is a man that’s been created through his fears. New episodes of the podcast drop regularly on YouTube and various audio platforms, offering continued analysis of the psyche of the world’s most talked-about man.