Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Jane Goodall Likens Trump To A 'Male Chimpanzee' After Watching Montage Of His Behavior–And Yeah, That Tracks

Jane Goodall with chimp in the background; MSNBC screenshot of Donald Trump
Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images; MSNBC/YouTube

On The Beat with Ari Melber, Jane Goodall analyzed Trump's behavior as akin to a male chimp 'competing for dominance with another.'

Renowned primatologist and environmental activist Jane Goodall likened former Republican President Donald Trump to a "male chimpanzee" after watching a montage of his behavior during an interview on MSNBC.

Speaking on The Beat with Ari Melber, Goodall said Trump's behavior is not unlike the kid "a male chimpanzee will show when he is competing for dominance with another.”


Goodall is, of course, the expert. She is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees and is best known for her 60-year study of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees since she first went to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960, where she witnessed human-like behaviours amongst chimpanzees, including armed conflict.

Goodall made the observation after Melber played her a montage that showed Trump stalking behind Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton during a 2016 debate, hugging and kissing the American flag and calling himself a “perfect physical specimen.”

You can hear what she said in the video below.

Hot Earth Truth: Jane Goodall On Chimps, Conservation And Runaway Capitalism | Summit Series youtu.be

When asked for her opinion on Trump's behavior, Goodall said:

“I see the same sort of behavior as a male chimpanzee will show when he is competing for dominance with another.”
“They’re upright, they swagger, they project themselves as really more large and aggressive than they may actually be in order to intimidate their rivals."

Goodall later commented that "the divisiveness that's being created" in the United States is "a tragedy... that can have ripple effects around the world."

It was a striking observation and most people couldn't help but laugh and agree with it.


Goodall's observation about Trump indicates her opinion has not changed significantly since 2016, when she told The Atlantic that Trump's controversial antics "remind me of male chimpanzees and their dominance rituals."

Noting that male chimpanzees seek to "rise in the dominance hierarchy" by "stamping," "slapping the ground," "dragging branches," and even "throwing rocks," Goodall added that an individual "is likely to rise in the hierarchy" and "maintain that position" the more performative their display.

More from People/donald-trump

'Doomsday' fish in Cabo San Lucas
@accuweather/X

Two 'Doomsday Fish' Just Washed Up On A Beach In Mexico—And Everyone's Saying The Same Thing

Okay, this is probably fine! Nobody panic! IT'S PROBABLY FINE. *sobs*

Two so-called "doomsday" fish, the mysterious deep-sea oarfish, beached themselves at the same time in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, last month in what has come to be regarded as a warning and bad omen for millennia.

Keep Reading Show less
screenshot of Trump voter Richard Stanley
MSNow

Broke Trump Voter Dragged After Admitting He Misses 'Uncle Joe' Biden As Gas Prices Surge

After MAGA Republican President Donald Trump decided to join Israel in attacking the sovereign nation of Iran, gas prices in the United States have jumped, with some parts of the country seeing prices over $4 or even $5 at the pumps.

MS NOW spoke to a man filling up his diesel pickup truck at a gas station in Lantana, Florida. Construction worker Richard Stanley identified himself as a Trump voter, then expressed regret over his choice.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots of Donald Trump and Shawn McCreesh

Reporter Goes Viral For Bluntly Calling Trump Out To His Face For Suggesting Iran Bombed Girls School

New York Times reporter Shawn McCreesh has gone viral after bluntly calling out President Donald Trump for suggesting that Iran somehow got a hold of Tomahawk missiles to bomb a girls' school in its own country on the first day of the war.

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt was criticized last week after she rejected reports that the U.S. struck a girls' elementary school in Iran, killing 175 people, insisting in remarks to the press pool that it's just Iranian "propaganda" that they've "fallen" for.

Keep Reading Show less
Alysa Liu
Marc Piasecki/WireImage/Getty Images

Alysa Liu Reveals That We've All Been Pronouncing Her Name Wrong—And Fans Are Stunned

It's always jarring when you see someone in the spotlight for years, only to realize that the way you've pronounced their name has been wrong. Take Taylor Lautner, for example!

Now the same is true for Olympic figure skater Alysa Liu, whose name has been interpreted with a variety of pronunciations since she started skating professionally, with the most common being "ah-leash-ah" followed by "lou."

Keep Reading Show less
Melania Trump
Mostafa Bassim/Anadolu via Getty Images

Melania Dragged After Bragging About Her 'Record-Breaking' Documentary Being Available On Streaming

Melania Trump's self-titled documentary is now available on the streaming platform that spent $75 million to make it, Amazon Prime.

Excited to get the word out, the FLOTUS posted an announcement on Elon Musk's social media platform X.

Keep Reading Show less