President Donald Trump found himself in the spotlight once again, but not for politics—social media users accused him of never reading a particular book.
Critics are questioning whether the 47th president actually read his running mate JD Vance’s acclaimed memoir “Hillbilly Elegy” after a Fox News interview raised eyebrows about his knowledge of the book’s contents.
The controversy stems from Trump’s July 22, 2024, appearance on “Jesse Watters Primetime,” where he discussed his relationship with then-Ohio Sen. JD Vance and praised their political partnership.
During the sit-down, Trump leaned hard on their shared bond over blue-collar America. Pointing to Vance’s 2016 memoir, he framed it as proof of their alignment, telling Watters, “And he wrote a book which was a classic, as you know.”
“And it was all about the working men and women and how they aren’t being treated fairly and he was right about that,” Trump continued. “And I understood that maybe better than anyone else. And we just have had a great relationship.”
However, viewers noticed something peculiar about Trump’s praise.
Donald Trump: “He wrote a book which was a classic. It was all about the working men and women and how they aren’t treated fairly. I understood that better than anyone else.” @Acyn
— The Intellectualist (@highbrow_nobrow) July 23, 2024
pic.twitter.com/Q5BHt5IVyZ
Throughout his discussion of the book, he never actually mentioned its title, “Hillbilly Elegy,” despite speaking extensively about its themes and importance to their relationship.
This omission has sparked reactions on social media platforms, where users began dissecting the interview for additional clues about Trump’s familiarity with the text.
“There’s no way that @realDonaldTrump has actually read Hillbilly Elegy! Did he even name the book during the interview?” one X user wrote.
The observation quickly gained traction as others joined the conversation with their own skeptical takes.
“He absolutely didn’t even read one page of that book,” declared another user, while someone else tweeted, “I’ll be amazed if someone eventually confirms that Donald Trump has read 1000 pages from any books over his entire life.”
The criticism didn’t stop there.
“He totally didn’t read it, and $10 says someone had to explain what ‘elegy’ meant (probably Tiffany),” wrote another commenter, referencing Trump’s youngest daughter.
This isn’t the first time Trump’s reading habits have come under scrutiny.
A 1987 CNN “Crossfire” interview recently resurfaced, showing a younger Trump making contradictory statements about Tom Wolfe’s “The Bonfire of the Vanities.”
In that appearance, Trump first claimed he hadn’t read the book, but moments later praised “Tom Wolfe’s last book” when pressed by the hosts, eventually agreeing that he was indeed referring to “Bonfire of the Vanities.”
Former White House officials have also questioned Trump’s engagement with written materials.
According to The Independent, advisers from his first presidency had to strategically place Trump’s name throughout briefing documents to maintain his attention. Economic adviser Gary Cohn was quoted in Michael Wolff’s book “Fire and Fury” as saying Trump “won’t read anything—not one-page memos, not the brief policy papers, nothing.”
Tony Schwartz, the ghostwriter for Trump’s “The Art of the Deal,” has speculated that Trump may have never read a complete book in his adult life.
“Trump’s tweet that he has ‘written’ bestselling books is one more deceit & delusion. He is incapable of reading a book, much less writing one,” Schwartz once tweeted.
Trump's tweet that he has "written" bestselling books is one more deceit & delusion. He is incapable of reading a book, much less writing one.
— Tony Schwartz (@tonyschwartz) July 4, 2018
The pattern extends to policy briefings as well. During the coronavirus pandemic, reports indicated that Trump ignored numerous intelligence briefings warning about the virus because they appeared in written format. White House trade adviser Peter Navarro’s written warnings about the potential outbreak went unread, with Trump explaining he didn’t see them because “Peter sends a lot of memos,” according to The Week in an article titled, “Trump’s Lethal Aversion to Reading.”
The latest controversy over “Hillbilly Elegy” fits into this broader narrative about Trump’s relationship to opening up a book, manual, or document and actually reading it.
Supporters often counter that his strength lies in verbal communication, but his inability to recall the title of Vance’s memoir adds to a growing perception of improvisation over preparation. To detractors, the slip is not simply a minor mistake but further evidence of a pattern in which Trump glosses over details and fills in the gaps with performance.
As his new presidency unfolds, the episode underscores a persistent question: How deeply is Trump willing to immerse himself in the complex policy knowledge required to lead? The misstep over a single book title becomes emblematic of larger doubts about his readiness to handle the responsibilities of office.
