Trump Sparks Outrage in New Zealand by Claiming Credit for Splitting the Atom
Kiwis push back as the former U.S. president attributes one of their most celebrated scientific achievements to America.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand — Former U.S. President Donald Trump has once again stirred controversy with historical inaccuracies—this time by claiming that Americans were responsible for splitting the atom, an achievement widely credited to New Zealand-born scientist Ernest Rutherford.
During his inaugural address on Monday, Trump listed what he described as great American accomplishments, including harnessing electricity, launching mankind into space, and splitting the atom. However, his remarks quickly drew criticism from New Zealanders, who regard Rutherford as the true pioneer of nuclear physics.
Who Really Split the Atom?
Ernest Rutherford, a Nobel Prize-winning physicist often referred to as the "father of nuclear physics," was the first scientist to successfully induce a nuclear reaction in 1917 while working at the University of Manchester in England. Later, in 1932, British scientists John Cockcroft and Ernest Walton further advanced nuclear research at a laboratory developed by Rutherford.
Notably, none of these breakthroughs were achieved in the United States.
New Zealand Pushes Back
Nick Smith, the mayor of Nelson—Rutherford’s birthplace—was among the many New Zealanders surprised by Trump’s claim.
"Rutherford’s groundbreaking research on radio communication, radioactivity, the structure of the atom, and ultrasound technology took place in universities in the UK and Canada—not the U.S.," Smith wrote in a Facebook post.
Smith added that he would extend an invitation to the next U.S. ambassador to New Zealand to visit Rutherford’s memorial site in Nelson to "ensure historical accuracy."
Social Media Backlash
Trump’s statement quickly sparked a wave of online reactions from New Zealanders, many of whom grew up studying Rutherford’s work. His legacy is deeply embedded in New Zealand culture—his face even appears on the country’s $100 banknote.
"Okay, I’ve gotta call time. Trump just claimed America split the atom," wrote Ben Uffindell, editor of the satirical New Zealand news website The Civilian, in a widely shared post on X (formerly Twitter). "That’s THE ONE THING WE DID."
Even the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of History and Heritage Resources does not credit Americans with splitting the atom, instead acknowledging Rutherford’s contributions and the later work of Cockcroft and Walton.
While Trump’s speeches have often contained exaggerations and misstatements, his latest historical gaffe has particularly struck a nerve in New Zealand, where Rutherford’s scientific legacy remains a source of immense national pride.