Stephen Hawking may be a genius, but he can't explain Donald Trump

Sometimes, really brilliant folks with a reputation for being brilliant start to comment on subjects outside their area of expertise, as if their level of genius so transcends the intelligence of the unwashed masses that they can be called on as an authority in literally any subject. Stephen Hawking has arguably been guilty of this before, and has faced criticism for his recent pontifications on the dangers of artificial intelligence in particular. But on Tuesday, Hawking admitted to being utterly stumped by something -- or, rather, someone: Donald Trump. ITV's "Good Morning Britain" cheekily asked whether the physics genius could explain the American billionaire's rise to presidential candidacy. "He's a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator." Hawking, who has lived with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) for more than half a century, uses a computer controlled by tiny movements of his cheek muscles to type out communications.