'Trump 47 racks up his first Nobel'?: President Donald Trump claims credit for Nobel Physics Prize

The Nobel Prize in Physics went to three scientists this month for their pioneering work in quantum mechanics—but US President Donald Trump claims he also deserves some of the credit. In a post on Truth Social, Trump on Thursday (Oct 30) celebrated the award by quoting his Energy Secretary Chris Wright and suggesting that the win was tied to his administration’s focus on emerging technologies and thus "‘Trump 47 racks up his first Nobel Prize!!’".

What did Trump do to deserve the Nobel Physics prize?

In his post, Trump quoted Wright as saying: "Chris Wright: 'A former Lawrence Berkeley National Lab scientist won the Nobel Prize in physics for work in Quantum physics. Quantum computing, along with AI and Fusion, are the three signature Trump science efforts. Trump 47 racks up his first Nobel Prize!!'."

The Nobel was awarded to John Clarke, 83, a British physicist formerly at the Department of Energy’s Berkeley Lab and now emeritus professor at UC Berkeley, along with Michel Devoret, 72, of Yale University, and John Martinis, 67, of the University of California, Santa Barbara. Their experiments from the mid-1980s paved the way for breakthroughs in quantum computing.

'Pathetic' Trump slammed for hogging credit

Trump's self-congratulation drew swift criticism. California Governor Gavin Newsom, who in recent days has been engaged in a war of words with the POTUS, mocked him on X, writing, "The President of the United States is so upset about his failed campaign for a Nobel Prize that he’s now trying to claim someone else’s prize as his own. Pathetic".

Nobel laureate dismisses Trump's claim

Martinis dismissed Trump’s claim with a hint of humour. In a statement to the Daily Beast, the Nobel laureate said, "This work was done in 1985, so I suppose you should credit another Republican, Ronald Reagan." Still, he acknowledged that Trump’s administration has shown interest in quantum technology: "Trump has emphasised quantum computing is a priority for his administration, and I think everyone appreciates his support of this technology".