Savannah - Pundits, politicians and journalists have tried to put their finger on Donald Trump's mystique as the billionaire catapulted over 16 other GOP contenders to win his party's nomination. Now a course at Savannah State University is wrestling with the same question.

Robert Smith, a political science professor at Savannah State, calls it “The Trump Factor in American Politics.” You can call it Trump 101.

“We’re trying here to find out what makes him so attractive,” he said to about a dozen curious students on a recent afternoon. “We’re trying here to find out what makes him so interesting.”

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Fulton DA Fani Willis (center) with Nathan J. Wade (right), the special prosecutor she hired to manage the Trump case and had a romantic relationship with, at a news conference announcing charges against President-elect Donald Trump and others in Atlanta, Aug. 14, 2023. Georgia’s Supreme Court on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, upheld an appeals court's decision to disqualify Willis from the election interference case against Trump and his allies. (Kenny Holston/New York Times)

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