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.'

Make us preferred on Google

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

Lorelai Crean; gay Trump supporter; Walter Masterson
Walter Masterson/YouTube

Gay Trump Supporter Gets Brutally Fact-Checked In Real Time After Awkwardly Defending Trump’s LGBTQ+ Record

Satirist and journalist Walter Masterson, who has gone viral multiple times for allowing MAGA minions to make fools of themselves and by mocking right-wing rhetoric in front of oblivious conservatives, joined up with trans youth activist Lorelai Crean to go to a Pride-adjacent gathering outside Trump Tower in New York City.

The duo wanted to ask gay Trump supporters to explain why they support an administration that doesn't support them. The event was hosted by pardoned January 6 rioter and gay MAGA influencer Brandon Straka, founder of the #WalkAway campaign that makes money trying to convince gay Democrats that the GOP is better for them, and the Log Cabin Republicans.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshots from White House video promoting "Freedom Fuel"
@WhiteHouse/X

White House Mocked After Promoting New 'Freedom Fuel' Gas Stations As Latest 'Grift'

The Trump administration was accused of promoting its latest grift after the White House announced it had launched 25 “Freedom Fuel” gas stations in the Philadelphia area, priced at $3.47 for the 47th president.

According to the Freedom Fuel Network's website, the company operates 25 stations—20 in Pennsylvania and five in New Jersey. As of Wednesday, the average price of a gallon of regular gasoline stood at about $3.98 in Pennsylvania and $3.86 in New Jersey, compared with the national average of $3.79, according to AAA.

Keep Reading Show less
Volodymyr Zelenskyy; Donald Trump
Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images (left and right)

Trump Mocked After Mistakenly Calling Volodymyr Zelenskyy 'President Putin' During NATO Summit

President Donald Trump isn't soothing concerns about his cognitive decline after mixing up Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin during remarks at a NATO press conference in Ankara, Turkey.

Trump stumbled over several remarks while seated alongside Zelenskyy; at one point he praised the U.S. military's response to Iranian attacks but mistakenly referred to "the Islamic Republic of Japan" instead of Iran.

Keep Reading Show less
Screenshot of Robert Hillard; Donald Trump
@tomaskennedy/X; Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

101-Year-Old WWII Veteran Goes Viral With His Blistering Rant About 'Fascist' Trump—And We're Cheering

101-year-old veteran Robert Hilliard has gone viral for condemning President Donald Trump and his "fascist government" in remarks at a vigil for the closing of the "Alligator Alcatraz" ICE detention center in Florida late last month.

Officials announced a temporary closure of the immigration detention facility last month, transferring all detainees to other centers after determining that hurricane season made it unsafe to continue operating at the remote Everglades site.

Keep Reading Show less
Members of the Patriot Front preparing to march with anti-abortion activists for the 49th annual March for Life in Washington DC.
Kent Nishimura / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Gay Man Speaks Out After Chilling Photo Captured Him Surrounded By White Nationalists

As Americans gathered in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday weekend, Roswell Encina found himself witnessing a very different vision of the country.

The gay Filipino American civic leader and president and CEO of the US Capitol Historical Society was photographed aboard a Metro train surrounded by masked members of Patriot Front after the white nationalist group marched through the capital, chanting, "Reclaim America."

Keep Reading Show less