Trump will not meet with American 2017 Nobel Prize winners for medicine, physics and economics

President Donald Trump will break with an almost 20-year tradition after deciding not to personally meet with eight Americans who won Nobel prizes earlier this year, according to STAT News.

A White House spokesperson told STAT News the president would not meet with the eight individuals due to foreign travel concerns.

Among the eight individuals are three scientists who shared the 2017 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for their research regarding circadian rhythms.

However, not all the honorees expressed a keen desire to meet President Trump. Joachim Frank, PhD, a professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics and of biological sciences at New York City-based Columbia University, was one of the three recipients of the 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He told STAT News he was "relieved" President Trump did not offer to meet with him or the other honorees.

"I will not put my foot into the White House as long as [President] Trump, [Vice President Mike] Pence, or [Sen. Paul] Ryan … will occupy it," Dr. Frank told STAT News. "I cannot speak for the others; don’t know them personally yet, but I strongly believe that as thinking intelligent people they will have a similar attitude as I."

The White House has hosted events in the Nobel laureates' honor almost every year since 2001. This year, the eight individuals are scheduled to attend an event at the Swedish Embassy in Washington, D.C. Tuesday.

While past presidents have typically attended the event, the spokesperson said Michael Kratsios, deputy U.S. chief technology officer in the Office of Science and Technology Policy, will attend the reception on behalf of the president and his administration, the report states.

Copyright © 2024 Becker's Healthcare. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy. Cookie Policy. Linking and Reprinting Policy.

 

Featured Whitepapers

Featured Webinars