Fact Check: Does the viral certificate show Trump's low grades at Fordham University?
WASHINGTON, DC: An image has been circulating on social media platforms claiming to show President Donald Trump’s certificate from Fordham University, marked with low grades. The claim has evoked conflicting reactions among online users, with many mocking him while others call it fake, prompting a fact-check.
Claim: Fordham University certificate shows Donald Trump’s low grades
According to the viral image circulating online, Trump's Fordham University certificate features a grade point average of 1.28. The image also indicates that Trump got D, C, and F grades across five classes.
A Facebook user who shared the alleged certificate wrote, “Is this a surprise to anyone?" The image has also spread on other social media platforms such as X and Instagram.
The claim has triggered criticisms against Trump, with many accusing him of lying about his education, while a few others defended him, dismissing the image as fake.
Fact Check: The certificate is fabricated
The image, however, is fake, as there is no credible evidence that proves Trump scored low grades at Fordham University.
In March 2019, the university posted about the image on X, calling it a "forgery," stating, “The image is a forgery, not an actual Fordham University transcript. Fordham University respects the privacy of its students and alumni, and follows federal law regarding the handling and release of academic records.”
The fake document also mentions an address: 85-15 Wareham Place, Jamaica, New York. Trump last lived at the address when he was four years old, but not when he attended Fordham University from 1964 to 1966, when he was around 18-20 years old.
It is also unlikely that the university had released an authentic copy of Trump's transcript regarding his years at the school, as of this writing.
Donald Trump's school threatened over grade release
Trump's former lawyer Michael Cohen, who testified against Trump in a trial, told Congress in 2019 that Trump asked him to send letters to his former schools, threatening them not to release his grades.
According to a report by PBS, published in February 2019, Bob Howe, a Fordham University spokesperson, said that they had received a letter from Trump's legal team threatening legal action if they released his grades.
The claim surfaced amid the speculation surrounding Trump’s IQ, whose official estimates have typically placed him in a broad and speculative range, often cited around 110–130, based on academic and professional background; extreme claims of both high and low have been widely debunked.
