When Donald Trump first met German Chancellor Angela Merkel in 2017, he asked her what the secret of her success was.
Merkel said, “You need to be surrounded by smart people.”
Trump asked, “And how do you know if someone is smart?”
“I’ll show you,” she said.
Merkel picked up the phone and called Wolfgang Schäuble, who was the finance minister at the time.
“Mr. Schäuble,” she said, “I have a question: your father’s son, but not your brother - who is it?”
Schäuble answered immediately, “That would be me.”
“You see?” Merkel said to Trump. “That’s how I check if someone is smart.”
Trump liked this idea very much.
The next day, he called his vice president, Mike Pence, and asked him the same question:
“Your father’s son, but not your brother - who is it?”
Pence was confused. He said, “I’ll find the answer and tell you tomorrow.”
Not understanding the question, Pence decided to ask former president Barack Obama. He called him and asked,
“Your father’s son, but not your brother - who is it?”
Obama answered, “It’s me.”
Happy, Pence ran back to Trump the next day and said,
“I know the answer! It’s Barack Obama!”
Trump got angry and said,