Jane Goodall's Remarkable Comparison Between Trump and Chimpanzee Dominance Behavior Resurfaces After Her Death

Goodall's comparison between Trump and chimpanzee behavior created significant attention during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Celebrated primatologist Jane Goodall, who passed away at 91 on Wednesday, once made headlines for comparing former US President Donald Trump to male chimpanzees. This notable comparison has resurfaced following her death.

During Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Goodall observed, "In many ways the performances of Donald Trump remind me of male chimpanzees and their dominance rituals." Drawing from her extensive research, she elaborated on how male chimpanzees establish dominance through "spectacular displays" including "stamping, slapping the ground, dragging branches, throwing rocks." She explained to The Atlantic that "the more vigorous and imaginative the display, the faster the individual is likely to rise in the hierarchy."

Her comments garnered significant attention throughout the election season. When revisiting this comparison in a 2022 MSNBC interview with Ari Melber, Goodall maintained her position. After viewing footage of Trump embracing the American flag and describing himself as a "perfect physical specimen," she remarked, "I see the same sort of behaviour as a male chimpanzee will show when he is competing for dominance with another."

She further elaborated that such males "swagger, they project themselves as really more large and aggressive than they may actually be in order to intimidate their rivals." When questioned about the implications of such behavior in humans, Goodall expressed concern about America's political division, noting, "Looking at it from outside, I see that the divisiveness that's being created in America is a tragedy and it is a tragedy that can have a ripple effect around the world."

Jane Goodall established her legacy through groundbreaking chimpanzee research at Tanzania's Gombe Stream National Park, fundamentally changing our understanding of humanity's relationship with the animal kingdom. Her pioneering work, which began in 1960, continues as "the longest-running wild chimpanzee study in the world," according to The Jane Goodall Institute.

For over four decades, she led the Jane Goodall Institute's community-focused conservation efforts across chimpanzee habitats. The institute announced that Goodall "died peacefully" in her sleep while in Los Angeles during a speaking tour.