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[Skip to Article](https://www.masslive.com/opinion/2019/04/even-trumps-height-starts-an-argument-viewpoint.html#main) Set weather Back To Main Menu Close Weather in - Change Location Current -Mostly Sunny TonightLow -Mostly Sunny TomorrowHigh -Mostly Sunny Full Weather Report Unlimited Digital Access - [Start Today for \$1 - Sale Ends 5/3/26](https://www.masslive.com/digitalsubscription/inline/) 1. [Opinion](https://www.masslive.com/opinion/ "Navigate to Opinion") # Even Trump’s height starts an argument (Viewpoint) - Updated: Apr. 22, 2019, 10:46 a.m. - \| Published: Apr. 22, 2019, 10:08 a.m.  President Donald Trump says he is 6-foot-3, or slightly taller than George Washington. The Father of Our Country's height is never questioned, but the current president's is. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)AP By - [Ron Chimelis \| rchimelis@repub.com](https://www.masslive.com/staff/chimelis/ "Ron Chimelis at rchimelis@repub.com") All I wanted to know was Donald Trump’s height. It seemed so simple, but of course in 2019 America, nothing really is. The nation is clawing at each other over the Mueller report, impeachment, Trump’s taxes and any number of other history-altering topics. The din is loud enough for me to sit these out for now, until I can offer something that 2 million bloggers, pundits and self-appointed experts on either side have not. My search for Trump’s height was for reasons of academics and curiosity. Wikipedia is not the Gospel but it does list all the presidents by height, and our 45th checks in at 6-foot-3 to rank third behind Abraham Lincoln (6-4) and Lyndon Johnson (6-3 and a half). You would think that in the Age of Technology and the Information Highway, we could at least either agree on that or establish a more accurate height - even if we agreed on nothing else about Trump. What I find sad about the nation’s current state is that we cannot even do that. Nothing can be established without accusations, insults, suspicion and mistrust. A certain level of suspicion is healthy for a democracy, but we are far past that point, and it is deeply damaging the country, regardless of who is to blame. Wikipedia commenters alleged Trump’s height had been confirmed by three doctors he handpicked, which means you can’t trust them any more than you can trust him. Wikipedia’s response was that its material is based “on fact, not belief,” - a thinly veiled response that taking the word of three doctors is standard procedure and leaves no reason to deviate, just because a lot of people hate Donald Trump. The digital argument raged on. If Trump is 6-3, how come he looks shorter than anyone above 6-1? Is he always slouching? Does the height take his shoes into account? Trump is a liar. The liberals and their media allies are liars. It should be comical, but instead, it’s profoundly disheartening. Even this apparently insignificant subject perpetuates anger, division, hatred and rage. Could I believe Trump is fudging his height and even pressuring his doctors to do so? Easily. If he weren’t president, he’d be a fine choice as Secretary of Vanity. There’s also a question of whether this president is clinically obese. Me, I couldn’t care less. William Howard Taft (5-foot-11, 340 pounds) modeled his body after the Rotunda, but Taft served as Supreme Court chief justice more than 15 years after leaving the White House. Adding an inch here, and slicing off a few pounds there would leave the 239-pound Trump below the accepted obesity level. The only people who care about that wouldn’t like him if his next reality show were a fitness program, so that’s a non-starter to me. So, if Trump says he’s 6-3, I’d be willing to either believe him or at least move on without having a conniption. What makes this significant to me is how this dispute is a microcosm of our entire political culture - one side blindly following the president’s every word, the other side outraged at every mention of him. George Washington was 6-2 and Thomas Jefferson was a half-inch taller. They’ve been dead for two centuries and only paintings exist for evidence, but we don’t question the data and we certainly don’t quarrel over it. With Lincoln, we only have early photography. As for TV-age Johnson, he was known to be devious and certainly gave cause for suspicion. Like Trump (and for that matter, like Washington), LBJ used his physical presence to win his point. Yet, we question his Vietnam policy but not his vital statistics. I didn’t ask to see Trump’s taxes. I only wanted to satisfy my curiosity - in this age of instant information that was supposed to make us better informed - about how tall he stood. What I got was a bitter dose of the overwhelming mistrust and fury from two sides that give in on nothing. I actually don’t care how tall Trump is. I do care that Americans on each political side find every reason and excuse, large and small to accuse, provoke and hate each other. When will America be great again? For my money, not until we know whom to believe, at least on the simplest of things. We shouldn’t believe everything we’re told, but we won’t survive forever if we believe nothing. [Ron Chimelis](https://www.masslive.com/staff/chimelis/) [rchimelis@repub.com](mailto:rchimelis@repub.com) ## Footer Navigation  Contact Us - [Contact MassLive](https://www.masslivemedia.com/contact/) - [Contact The Republican](https://www.masslive.com/living/page/contact-the-republican-newsroom-advertising-purchases.html) Subscriptions - [MassLive.com](https://www.masslive.com/subscribe/) - [Newsletters](https://link.masslive.com/join/6fg/signup) - [Breaking news push alerts](https://www.masslive.com/mobile-device/) - [The Republican](https://subscribe.masslive.com/) - [E-edition Login](https://enewssr.repub.com/) - [Subscriptions and Circulation](https://myaccount.masslive.com/re/home) MassLive Media - [About MassLive Media](https://www.masslivemedia.com/about/) - [Advertise with us](https://www.masslivemedia.com/) - [Sponsor Content](https://www.masslive.com/sponsor-content-index/?prx_adpz=1120) - [Accessibility Statement](https://www.masslive.com/accessibility/) Follow Us - [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/masslive) - [Worcester Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/WorcesterMass/?fref=ts) - [Red Sox Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/MassLiveRedSox) - [Patriots Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/masslive.patriots/) - [Bruins Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/masslivebruinsnews) - [Twitter](https://twitter.com/#!/masslivenews/) - [YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDmXyuvUm8aDC4asAOgFrgQ/videos) - [HS Sports Twitter](https://twitter.com/MassLiveHS) - [Sports Twitter](https://twitter.com/masslivesports) - [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/masslive/) - [HS Sports Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/masslivehs/?hl=en) - [RSS](https://www.masslive.com/arc/outboundfeeds/rss/?outputType=xml) MassLive.com Sections - [All News](https://www.masslive.com/news/) - [All Sports](https://www.masslive.com/sports/) - [Entertainment](https://www.masslive.com/entertainment/) - [Politics](https://www.masslive.com/politics/) - [Opinion](https://www.masslive.com/opinion/) - [High School Sports](https://highschoolsports.masslive.com/) - [Betting](https://www.masslive.com/betting/) - [Living](https://www.masslive.com/living/) - [Real Estate](https://classifieds.masslive.com/masslive/category/real-estate) - [Obituaries](https://obits.masslive.com/us/obituaries/masslive/browse) - [Classifieds](https://classifieds.masslive.com/masslive) - [Autos](https://autos.masslive.com/) - [Jobs](https://www.masslive.com/jobs/) More on MassLive.com - [Careers at MassLive](https://www.masslivemedia.com/careers/) - [Community rules](https://www.masslive.com/communityrules/) - [The Republican Special Sections](https://repub-print.com/) - [Place an ad](https://www.masslive.com/placead/) - [Newspapers.com Archive](https://archives.masslive.com/?utm_campaign=footer&utm_source=web) - Your Privacy Choices - [Privacy Policy](https://www.masslive.com/privacy-policy/) - \|[User Agreement](https://www.masslive.com/user-agreement/) - \|[Ad Choices](https://www.masslive.com/privacy-policy/#oba_top) ## Disclaimer [](https://www.advancelocal.com/) Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our [User Agreement](https://www.masslive.com/user-agreement/), (updated 8/1/2024) and acknowledgement of our [Privacy Policy](https://www.masslive.com/privacy-policy/), and [Your Privacy Choices and Rights](https://www.masslive.com/privacy-policy/#rights_top) (updated 1/1/2026). © 2026 Advance Local Media LLC. 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1. [Opinion](https://www.masslive.com/opinion/ "Navigate to Opinion") - Updated: Apr. 22, 2019, 10:46 a.m. - Published: Apr. 22, 2019, 10:08 a.m.  President Donald Trump says he is 6-foot-3, or slightly taller than George Washington. The Father of Our Country's height is never questioned, but the current president's is. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)AP By - [Ron Chimelis \| rchimelis@repub.com](https://www.masslive.com/staff/chimelis/ "Ron Chimelis at rchimelis@repub.com") All I wanted to know was Donald Trump’s height. It seemed so simple, but of course in 2019 America, nothing really is. The nation is clawing at each other over the Mueller report, impeachment, Trump’s taxes and any number of other history-altering topics. The din is loud enough for me to sit these out for now, until I can offer something that 2 million bloggers, pundits and self-appointed experts on either side have not. My search for Trump’s height was for reasons of academics and curiosity. Wikipedia is not the Gospel but it does list all the presidents by height, and our 45th checks in at 6-foot-3 to rank third behind Abraham Lincoln (6-4) and Lyndon Johnson (6-3 and a half). You would think that in the Age of Technology and the Information Highway, we could at least either agree on that or establish a more accurate height - even if we agreed on nothing else about Trump. What I find sad about the nation’s current state is that we cannot even do that. Nothing can be established without accusations, insults, suspicion and mistrust. A certain level of suspicion is healthy for a democracy, but we are far past that point, and it is deeply damaging the country, regardless of who is to blame. Wikipedia commenters alleged Trump’s height had been confirmed by three doctors he handpicked, which means you can’t trust them any more than you can trust him. Wikipedia’s response was that its material is based “on fact, not belief,” - a thinly veiled response that taking the word of three doctors is standard procedure and leaves no reason to deviate, just because a lot of people hate Donald Trump. The digital argument raged on. If Trump is 6-3, how come he looks shorter than anyone above 6-1? Is he always slouching? Does the height take his shoes into account? Trump is a liar. The liberals and their media allies are liars. It should be comical, but instead, it’s profoundly disheartening. Even this apparently insignificant subject perpetuates anger, division, hatred and rage. Could I believe Trump is fudging his height and even pressuring his doctors to do so? Easily. If he weren’t president, he’d be a fine choice as Secretary of Vanity. There’s also a question of whether this president is clinically obese. Me, I couldn’t care less. William Howard Taft (5-foot-11, 340 pounds) modeled his body after the Rotunda, but Taft served as Supreme Court chief justice more than 15 years after leaving the White House. Adding an inch here, and slicing off a few pounds there would leave the 239-pound Trump below the accepted obesity level. The only people who care about that wouldn’t like him if his next reality show were a fitness program, so that’s a non-starter to me. So, if Trump says he’s 6-3, I’d be willing to either believe him or at least move on without having a conniption. What makes this significant to me is how this dispute is a microcosm of our entire political culture - one side blindly following the president’s every word, the other side outraged at every mention of him. George Washington was 6-2 and Thomas Jefferson was a half-inch taller. They’ve been dead for two centuries and only paintings exist for evidence, but we don’t question the data and we certainly don’t quarrel over it. With Lincoln, we only have early photography. As for TV-age Johnson, he was known to be devious and certainly gave cause for suspicion. Like Trump (and for that matter, like Washington), LBJ used his physical presence to win his point. Yet, we question his Vietnam policy but not his vital statistics. I didn’t ask to see Trump’s taxes. I only wanted to satisfy my curiosity - in this age of instant information that was supposed to make us better informed - about how tall he stood. What I got was a bitter dose of the overwhelming mistrust and fury from two sides that give in on nothing. I actually don’t care how tall Trump is. I do care that Americans on each political side find every reason and excuse, large and small to accuse, provoke and hate each other. When will America be great again? For my money, not until we know whom to believe, at least on the simplest of things. We shouldn’t believe everything we’re told, but we won’t survive forever if we believe nothing.