Why does Trump talk about sharks so much?
How to understand the former president's comments on one of nature's perfect killing machines


Donald Trump is not what most people would call an "environmentalist" or "naturalist." For years, he has peppered his conversations and public addresses with observations about various animals, asking his top advisers about how badgers "work" and expressing frustration at wind turbines he believes have "killed so many eagles."
But one animal has been his focus above all others: sharks. Sharks are "last on my list," Trump said in 2013, saying that the only things he disliked more were "perhaps the losers and haters of the World!"
Sharks are last on my list - other than perhaps the losers and haters of the World!July 4, 2013
Trump's thoughts about sharks surfaced again this past weekend when, during a rally in Las Vegas, he pivoted to an anecdote about whether he would rather die by electrocution in a sinking electric boat or face a hungry shark waiting for him in nearby waters.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Trump is "obsessed with sharks, terrified of sharks," Stormy Daniels said in 2018. "He was like, 'I donate to all these charities, and I would never donate to any charity that helps sharks. I hope all the sharks die.'"
What's behind Trump's opinions on sharks, and how has it contributed to the once, and potentially future, president's worldview to date?
What does it mean?
In the moments before her tryst with Trump, Daniels recalled that the not-yet president "made me sit and watch an entire documentary about shark attacks" before anything physical. But if Trump dislikes sharks as much as he claims to, "why doesn’t he watch, literally, anything else?" Elle asked. Is his addiction to watching shark attack footage "equivalent to the rest of us watching the [then-]president?"
Trump's shark-related comments in his public remarks highlight a "beef with the animals" that's "irrational, though not entirely unsurprising," The Daily Beast said. The former president not only "apparently doesn't enjoy swimming" but is allegedly "so disturbed by the sight of blood that he once let an 80-year-old man bleed profusely at his feet instead of helping him — and at a charity ball, no less."
While Trump's focus on sharks is a "baffling combination of pathetic, relatable and hilarious," that same combination makes it strangely "endearing," as well, Slate said. Moreover, his dislike of sharks offers an "excellent reflection of what exactly is so completely toxic about the man's character." Sharks are a "physical distillation of what Trump hates the most: power in the hands of anyone but him, existential uncertainty, nature."
Trump's latest shark comments, a similar version of the story he offered late last year in Iowa, came during the part of his speech where he "rails against electric cars and claims, falsely, that Joe Biden is dead set on making all military tanks fully electric and nonfunctional," Margaret Hartmann said at Intelligencer . And his mindset may have political ramifications. "If voters return Trump to the White House, he would likely deploy a group of officials to work on the boat/battery/shark issue and expect them to report back on their progress," Steve Benen said at MSNBC. In Trump's mind, the issues are intractably, and actionably, related.
How has Trump impacted sharks?
Trump's dislike of sharks has become a significant part of his personality, but the former president likely doesn't have much direct exposure to them. That doesn't mean, however, that he may not have made an indirect impact on them. As president, Trump's frequent trips to his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida regularly disrupted Florida Atlantic University biologist Stephen Kajiura's research into blacktip sharks, since the "sprawling Palm Beach estate is 'right along the survey path,'" said Kajiura to The Washington Post.
Conversely, Trump's anti-shark comments have prompted a significant "uptick in donations" for various shark conservation groups, the BBC said in 2018. One had the message "Because Trump."
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.
-
Donald Trump's foreign policy flip in the Middle East
Talking Point Surprise lifting of sanctions on Syria shows Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Qatar are now effectively 'dictating US foreign policy'
-
Elon Musk says he's 'done enough' political spending. What does that really mean?
TODAY'S BIG QUESTION The world's richest man predicted he'd do 'a lot less' electoral financing moving forward. Has Washington seen the last of the tech titan?
-
'Organ donation is kindness'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
GOP megabill would limit judicial oversight of Trump
speed read The domestic policy bill Republicans pushed through the House would protect the Trump administration from the consequences of violating court orders
-
Home energy: Bills are up, efficiency is out
Feature The Energy Star program saves Americans billions of dollars, but the Trump administration plans to 'eliminate' it.
-
Trump lectures South Africa president on 'white genocide'
speed read Trump has cut off aid to South Africa over his demonstrably false genocide claims
-
'These businesses have appealed to generations'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
-
Starlink: what Elon Musk's satellite soft power means for the world
The Explainer The rapid expansion of his satellite internet company has given Musk a unique form of leverage in some of the world's most vulnerable regions