19th cousins Clinton & Trump frontrunners in US prez race
WASHINGTON: A genealogy tracking firm announced Tuesday Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, rival frontrunners in the race for the White House in 2016, are related as 19th cousins.
And that they have royal blood, from King Edward III, their 19th great grandfather. Therefore, an author associated with the study by geni.com, said, “ruling a country… is in their genes”.
Neither campaign reacted to the announcement.
Both Trump and Clinton are frontrunners in their respective parties, with the former continuing to amaze party leaders and pundits with his gravity-defying poll numbers.
He has shown no signs of conforming to a more predictable mold of a presidential candidate — he continues to call politicians stupid and rail against illegal immigrants.
And, indulge in his favourite bloodsport: scrapping with reporters. On Tuesday, a reporter from a Spanish language TV news channel was ejected from his news conference.
The night before, Trump renewed his attacks on a Fox news woman anchor, who had earned his ire by asking him sharp questions in the first primary debate.
His poll numbers continue to surge nevertheless.
Clinton, on the other hand, has been less fortunate. Though still the Democratic frontrunner, her campaign has been buffeted by controversies that have forced her numbers south.
Her use of a private email server as secretary of state, for instance. She has denied ever passing anything confidential on it, but she finds herself strapped with a trust issue.
That has made some Democrats look for a Plan B.
Bernier Sanders, who has been drawing large crowds with his harangues against billionaires and income inequality, has also improved his numbers but remains a long-shot candidate.
Come in Vice-President Joe Biden. He is said to be weighing a run, but very keenly aware of the drawbacks of a late run when all major donors and operatives have been snapped up.
Media reports suggest he has President Barack Obama’s “blessings”. But he will need more to go up against the famed Clinton political machine. And, now, her genes.