Donald Trump, the 45th president of the United States, has been referenced in pop culture in many ways over the years. One interesting way is through his “Bacon Number” – a concept that connects actors and actresses based on their associations in movies and TV shows. In this article, we’ll take a look at what exactly a Bacon Number is and determine Donald Trump’s Bacon Number.
What is a Bacon Number?
The Bacon Number was created as a parody of the Erdős Number, which connects mathematicians based on their co-authorships of journal articles. The Bacon Number specifically connects actors based on their co-appearances in movies or TV shows.
The concept was created in 1994 by computer scientist Brian Turtle as part of a University of Virginia course project called “The Oracle of Bacon”. It got its name from prolific actor Kevin Bacon, who was selected as the central point of the connections.
Here’s how the Bacon Number works
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Kevin Bacon himself has a Bacon Number of 0.
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Actors who have appeared in a movie or TV show with Kevin Bacon have a Bacon Number of 1.
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Actors who have appeared with someone with a Bacon Number of 1, but not with Kevin Bacon directly, have a Bacon Number of 2.
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And so on – an actor’s Bacon Number is the shortest number of connections it would take to link them to Kevin Bacon.
Over time, the Bacon Number concept expanded beyond just actors to include other celebrities. So non-actors like Donald Trump can also receive a Bacon Number based on their connections.
Determining Donald Trump’s Bacon Number
Donald Trump does have a defined Bacon Number, which can be determined based on his connections to others in movies and TV shows.
To start, Donald Trump has made cameo appearances in several movies over the years, including Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, The Little Rascals, and Two Weeks Notice. He also appeared as himself in episodes of TV shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Spin City, Sex and the City, and more.
So to determine Trump’s Bacon Number, we have to look at his co-stars in those productions and their connections to Kevin Bacon:
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In Home Alone 2, Trump appeared with actor Macaulay Culkin. Culkin was in Saved! with actor Jena Malone. Jena Malone was in Inherent Vice with Kevin Bacon.
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In Little Rascals, Trump appeared with actor Blake McIver. McIver was in Sons of Anarchy with actor Ron Perlman. Perlman was in Beauty Shop with Kevin Bacon.
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In Two Weeks Notice, Trump appeared with actress Sandra Bullock. Bullock was in Loverboy with Kevin Bacon.
Based on the closest connection through Sandra Bullock in Two Weeks Notice, Donald Trump has a Bacon Number of 2.
This means he has appeared in a movie with someone who has appeared in a movie with Kevin Bacon. So he is two degrees separated from Kevin Bacon himself.
Other Interesting Bacon Numbers
To put Trump’s Bacon Number into context, here are some other notable Bacon Numbers:
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Kevin Bacon has a Bacon Number of 0.
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Tom Hanks, Harrison Ford, and Samuel L. Jackson each have a Bacon Number of 1, having appeared directly with Kevin Bacon.
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Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Bryan Cranston each have a Bacon Number of 2.
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Arnold Schwarzenegger and Angelina Jolie each have a Bacon Number of 3.
So a Bacon Number of 2 puts Donald Trump in the company of many major Hollywood stars in terms of connections to Kevin Bacon.
Barack Obama, Trump’s presidential predecessor, also has a Bacon Number of 2. Some other presidents like Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter have a Bacon Number of 3.
The Significance of Bacon Numbers
While the Bacon Number concept started out lighthearted, it actually has some significant applications:
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It inspired the creation of the Oracle of Bacon website, which allows people to enter actor names and find their Bacon Number. This was an early interactive database for public use.
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It led to the idea of other “Numbers” that connect people in networks, like the Erdős Number for scientists.
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It introduced the “small world phenomenon” – the idea that seemingly unrelated people can be connected through just a few links.
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It demonstrated the “six degrees of separation” concept, which posits that anyone in the world can be connected to anyone else in six or fewer steps.
So Donald Trump’s place within the Bacon Number network shows how he is interconnected with the world of celebrities and popular culture. It’s a fun example of how different spheres in society are often more closely linked than they may appear.
While Trump’s time in the White House was filled with serious policy issues, his Bacon Number provides an amusing look at his pop culture connections from his life before and after politics. He is now forever linked to Kevin Bacon as part of this unique measurement.
Google’s autocomplete feature reveals the internet’s most burning questions about the GOP frontrunner
So what can we learn from Google’s autocomplete feature? Well, mostly that people are looking for very strange things, especially when it comes to Trump.
We looked through Google to find the cutest and most important Trump questions people were asking, and then we did our best to answer them:
Who could forget the unsettling jingle performed by the USA Freedom Kids before a Florida Trump rally? One day we may all be compelled to stand up before baseball games and sing it.
Whoever he is, hes doing an A-plus job.
Presumably in a test tube in a lab somewhere.
“Its a terrific, terrific pen, believe me. Very classy.”
Donald Trump is probably not Batman.
Donald Trump is definitely not Jesus.
No, youre thinking of Ted Cruz.
Once again, youre confusing Trump with Ted Cruz.
People really need Google to answer this question?
The answer, most likely, is, “Yes, he did really tweet that.”
No, Trumps “bacon number” isnt about how many strips of fatback Trump eats for breakfast on given morning. It refers to the internets favorite parlour game, Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon. Trumps bacon number, as it happens, is two. Among other connections, Trump appeared in “Home Alone 2” with Joe Pesci, who starred alongside Bacon in “JFK.”
You probably would have heard about this without having to Google it.
You can hear the sound of a million opinion writers typing “What does Donald Trump mean?” into Google if you listen closely.
Debunking Trump’s Bacon Claim
FAQ
What is Elon Musk’s Bacon number?
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Name
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Erdős number
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Bacon number
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Elon Musk
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4
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2
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Natalie Portman
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5
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2
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Bruce Reznick
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1
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2
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Carl Sagan
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4
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2
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What is your Bacon number?
What’s the highest Bacon number?
What is Johnny Depp’s Bacon number?