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.
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.
Jane Goodall just compared Trump to a chimpanzee. I couldn’t agree more! 😂
— Kate 👩🏼⚕️ (@Kate_Retired) December 13, 2022We must treasure her analysis. https://t.co/xH89uQHRSA
— jespanol (@nypapajoe) December 14, 2022DR. Jane Goodall comparing Donald Trump to a monkey, she does know monkeys.
— Jack Webb (@JackWeb53085992) December 13, 2022Jane Goodall just on Ari Melber comparing Donald Trump’s physical stand and overall behavior to that if a chimpanzee trying to achieve dominance. Bahahaha. Poor chimps!
— CrazyOldLady #HumanScum #NastyWoman (@CrazyOldLady10) December 13, 2022Headlines:
— David W Pippy (@DWPippy) December 14, 2022
“Jane Goodall reveals how Trump acts like a male chimpanzee”
So do we need to feed him bananas?
An insult to male chimpanzees everywhere.https://t.co/hLa24T9SIe
— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) December 14, 2022
Sad, but really no surprise. Apes have passed us by. https://t.co/t1tBvvCFFR
— Jerry Jensen ⚖️ (@jerryjensen15) December 14, 2022I feel I must disagree w/ Ms. Goodall. From all I’ve seen of Trump, a male chimp is FAR more intelligent & in tune w/ it’s group!
— 💔🌊🌈🦄 NoraC SLAVA UKRAINI 🇺🇦 🦄🌈🌊💔 (@RealNoraC) December 14, 2022
“Environmental activist and primatologist Jane Goodall still believes Donald Trump essentially acts like a male chimpanzee.”https://t.co/3vbLbdl1YN
Jane Goodall is really on m y TV explaining the parallels between Trump and a preening insecure Chimp…this evening is perfect.
— Clarence Patton (@cpattonbkny) December 13, 2022
Goodall’s observation about Trump indicates her opinion has not changed significantly since 2016, when she toldThe 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.
Being that he is orange, probably an Orangutan is more appropriate, but Orangs are peaceful and nice, so I go along with Jane Goodall comparison.
Trump do act like an angry male chimp.
Should compare Obummer to a slimy lying monkey and Bill Clinton to a horny rabbit and Hitlerite Jokementia Bribery to his hero Adolph Hitler…
Proof you can be a scientist and an idiot at the same time!
Isn’t that a Racist comparison? Well Democrats are the true Racists.