Stephen Hawking added his awed voice to Donald Trump's elite detractors, saying on British television on Tuesday that the soaring popularity of the Republican presidential nominee-in-waiting is a mystery to him.
Asked on
ITV's "Good Morning Britain" to explain Trump's phenomenal rise in the U.S. presidential campaign, the world famous theoretical physicist demurred.
"I can't," said Hawking, who's had no trouble explaining cosmic mysteries. "He is a demagogue, who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator."
Hawking, 74, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 21, is best known for his work regarding black holes, notes
Biography.com, and his life was the subject of the 2014 movie "The Theory of Everything."
Trump has been drawing negative reviews from Britain's uppercrust. Earlier this month, newly elected London Mayor Sadiq Khan criticized Trump for saying back in December that he wanted a temporary halt to all Muslims entering the United States, said
CNN.
Trump modified his position in May, noted CNN, saying the shutdown was a suggestion and he would make an exception for Khan if it was in place.
Khan, the first Muslim elected London mayor, said he believed Trump was "somebody who is trying to divide, not just your communities in America but who is trying to divide America from the rest of the world," per CNN.
In April, British Prime Minister David Cameron ordered his diplomats to begin reaching out to Trump – despite calling him "divisive, stupid and wrong" after last year's remarks on banning Muslims, reported London's
Daily Mail.
In January, the British Parliament spent three hours debating whether to ban Trump from visiting the United Kingdom – with some calling his past comments on Muslims "hate speech" – but didn't take a vote, noted the
Washington Post. In Britain, the ability to ban someone rests with the home secretary and not Parliament, noted the Post.
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