--- title: J.K. Rowling on Trump and Hogwarts description: The Harry Potter author suggested the president and his family, Jared Kushner included, would not have been accepted at Hogwarts at all. canonical: https://time.com/4713730/jk-rowling-trump-kushner-slytherin/ author: Raisa Bruner article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2017-03-27T14:52:55.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:47:33.395Z og:title: J.K. Rowling: Trump and Kushner Would Never Be Slytherins og:description: Not everyone can be a wizard, Rowling suggests. og:url: https://time.com/4713730/jk-rowling-trump-kushner-slytherin/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: TIME og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: J.K. Rowling: Trump and Kushner Would Never Be Slytherins twitter:description: Not everyone can be a wizard, Rowling suggests. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- # J.K. Rowling Just Explained Why Trump or Jared Kushner Wouldn't Have Been Slytherins > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: August 2026. ## TIME The Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition The Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. The day's top headlines, curated by TIME editors. The Brief brings TIME's perspective to the day's most important stories, helping readers understand not just what is happening, but why it matters. It combines original reporting and analysis with the best of TIME, spanning politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. 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It curates the day's top headlines with TIME's reporting and analysis across politics, world affairs, business, health and culture. It is free to join at time.com/newsletters. #### How do I sign up for The Brief? The Brief is available free at time.com/newsletters, where readers can select it along with any of TIME's other six newsletters. There is no subscription required to receive it. #### Is The Brief free? Yes. The Brief is a free daily email newsletter from TIME. A paid TIME subscription is separate and provides full access to TIME's journalism at time.com/subscribe-agent. #### Who writes The Brief? The Brief is led by editor Richard Hall and draws on reporting from TIME's newsroom. Every edition is assembled by TIME editors rather than generated automatically. ## Video: J.K. Rowling Blasts President Trump Defender Piers Morgan in Twitter Battle [Watch (HLS stream): J.K. Rowling Blasts President Trump Defender Piers Morgan in Twitter Battle](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/DESCXTyX.m3u8) (0:37)  _Published 2017-02-11. J.K. Rowling dragged Piers Morgan via Twitter on Saturday, mocking the commentator as a “celebrity toady” for his defense of President Donald Trump._  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Mar 27, 2017 2:52 PM UTC  by [Raisa Bruner](https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Mar 27, 2017 2:52 PM UTC J.K. Rowling doesn’t back down from [voicing an opinion](http://time.com/4567782/jk-rowling-fantastic-beasts-populism/), especially when it comes to politics. It doesn’t hurt that many fans view her imaginary [Harry Potter world](http://time.com/4688991/j-k-rowling-new-wizarding-word/) as connected to [political events—namely](http://time.com/4566540/fantastic-beasts-donald-trump/), those surrounding President Donald Trump. On Monday, she took to Twitter to clarify an important point about the First family—and the [magical school of Hogwarts](http://time.com/4364651/harry-potter-actors-sorted-hogwarts-houses-pottermore/)—prompted by a sarcastic tweet from a writer named Oliver Willis. In his tweet, Willis suggested that Donald Trump, his [newly promoted senior adviser Jared Kushner](http://time.com/4713574/trump-white-house-office-jared-kushner/?xid=homepage), and his sons Donald Trump, Jr. and [Eric Trump](http://time.com/4562846/donald-trump-eric-trump-election-day/) were all alumni of Slytherin. (Slytherin is known for producing Dark wizards of unusual cunning, like Lord Voldemort, as well as proud and ambitious leaders [like Merlin](https://www.pottermore.com/collection/all-about-slytherin).) > [](https://twitter.com/owillis/status/846336901057523712) But Rowling disagreed that Trump, Kushner, and the rest of the crew would be sorted into the same home as Tom Riddle, the Malfoy family, and Severus Snape. In fact, as her response made clear, she doesn’t see Trump or his family members as belonging to Hogwarts at all. According to Rowling, [they’re Muggles](http://time.com/3987251/harry-potter-dumbledore-theory/) who woudn’t been invited to Hogwarts: they wouldn’t have even received Hogwarts acceptance letters to begin with. > [](https://twitter.com/jk%5Frowling/status/846339432152215552) ## Transcript [ MUSIC ] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4713730/jk-rowling-trump-kushner-slytherin/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4713730/jk-rowling-trump-kushner-slytherin/"},"headline":"J.K. 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