Donald Trump’s ‘split the atom’ claim vexes New Zealanders

New Zealanders are expressing frustration after U.S. President Donald Trump credited Americans with splitting the atom in his second inaugural address——an achievement widely attributed to Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealand-born scientist hailed as the father of nuclear physics.

The claim sparked backlash from officials and social media users in across the country, with many asserting that Rutherford’s groundbreaking work is a source of national pride.

Why It Matters

Ernest Rutherford, born in Nelson, New Zealand, and educated in Brightwater, is renowned for his work in nuclear physics. In 1917, while at Victoria University of Manchester in England, Rutherford was the first to intentionally split the atom through a nuclear reaction. His discoveries not only defined the modern understanding of atomic structure but also paved the way for future breakthroughs in physics.

While Rutherford made his discoveries abroad, he remains a celebrated figure in New Zealand. His name graces institutions, streets, and New Zealand’s $100 banknote.

What to Know

Trump’s remarks during his inauguration speech included a sweeping list of U.S. accomplishments: “Americans pushed thousands of miles through a rugged land of untamed wilderness … split the atom, launched mankind into the heavens.”

This is not the first time Trump has credited Americans with splitting the atom. In a 2020 speech at Mount Rushmore, he made a similar claim: “Americans harnessed electricity, split the atom, and gave the world the telephone and the internet,” he said.

“We settled the wild west, won two world wars, landed American astronauts on the Moon—and one day soon, we will plant our flag on Mars!”

Mayor Responds to Trump’s Atom Claim

New Zealand politician Nick Smith, the mayor of Nelson, where Rutherford was born and educated, said he was “a bit surprised” by the claim.

“Rutherford’s ground breaking research on radio communication, radioactivity, the structure of the atom and ultra sound technology were done at Cambridge and Manchester Universities in the UK and McGill University in Montreal Canada,” Smith wrote on Facebook.

Smith said he would invite the next U.S. ambassador to New Zealand to visit Rutherford’s birthplace memorial “so we can keep the historic record on who split the atom first accurate.”

Trump’s confusion may arise from the significant role American scientists played in nuclear research later, particularly in the Manhattan Project and the development of nuclear weapons during World War II. Key scientists involved in the Manhattan Project, such as J. Robert Oppenheimer and Enrico Fermi, built on prior research but did not perform the initial splitting of the atom.

What People Are Saying

Ben Uffindell, editor of New Zealand’s satirical news website The Civilian posted to X: “Okay, I’ve gotta call time. Trump just claimed America split the atom. That’s THE ONE THING WE DID.”

Rosie Carnahan-Darby, comedian and producer posted to X: “I grew up in Nelson, New Zealand. Guess who else did? Ernest Rutherford. The guy that split the atom. A KIWI MR PRESIDENT. Rutherford actually grew up in Brightwater, near Nelson. You can visit the lecture theater he learnt in at the University of Canterbury in Christchurch.”

Rev. Bosco Peters, a religious leader based in New Zealand posted to X: “Who writes Trump’s speeches? A New Zealander, not an American, split the atom (Ernest Rutherford — I went to the university here where he had his den). On a blank world map, without borders drawn in, what % of Americans can even point to where the inauguration happened?”

What Happens Next

Mayor Smith has invited the next U.S. ambassador to New Zealand to visit Rutherford’s memorial in Brightwater.

“Nelsonians and New Zealanders should be very proud of Ernest Rutherford’s achievement in 1917 in being the first to split the atom and we just need to politely remind Americans of that,” he said.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press