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Donald Trump has been called a lot of things during his campaign for the presidency in 2016, but he hadn't been publicly compared to a male chimpanzee until earlier this week.

In an interview with The Atlantic, renowned primatologist Jane Goodall said Trump's "performances" remind her of "male chimpanzees and their dominance rituals."

SEE ALSO:While Fallon was touching Trump's hair, Trevor Noah and Bill Clinton got real about the ugly campaign

Writer James Fallows compares these dominance rituals to how Trump speaks, writing that his brashness and willingness to use dismissive or diminishing nicknames for his rivals (such as "Little Marco" or "Lyin' Ted") are not unlike a male chimpanzee trying to show a bunch of other dude chimps he's the boss.

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Here's more from Goodall in The Atlantic:

“In order to impress rivals, males seeking to rise in the dominance hierarchy perform spectacular displays: stamping, slapping the ground, dragging branches, throwing rocks. The more vigorous and imaginative the display, the faster the individual is likely to rise in the hierarchy, and the longer he is likely to maintain that position.”

You can judge for yourself whether Trump's debate antics were a primary factor in earning him the Republican nomination for president.

Whether that helped him along or not, he has certainly so far been able to maintain his position at the top of the GOP heap.

TopicsDonald TrumpElectionsPresident