Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton are Cousins; Is That Why They Are So Close?

Israeli genealogy experts say the two candidates are distant cousins, and both related to British royalty. Looks like politics run in the family!

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his Democratic rival Hillary Rodham Clinton don’t have much in common in terms of policy, but as for heritage, the two front-runners are reportedly related.

According to a report by the Israeli high-tech company, MyHeritage, Trump and Clinton are 19th cousins, sharing a common ancestor from England 18 generations ago.

Their common ancestors are John of Gaunt, the duke of Lancaster, and third wife Katherine Swynford.

Their relationship to each other is not the only surprise for the Presidential hopefuls. Both are also related to royalty as genealogists say that King Edward III of England is their 19th great grandfather.

“Their 19th great grandfather is King Edward III (John’s father) so there is precedent for ruling a country, it’s in their genes,” said A.J. Jacobs, who teamed up with MyHeritage and their site Geni.com and studied the research.

This is not the first time a common ancestor has been found between political rivals.

In 2007, former Vice President Dick Cheney and President Barack Obama were found to be 8th cousins. This discovery was revealed by the former vice-president’s wife, Lynne, while researching her ancestry.

By Shoshana Miskin

Courtesy of Israelnn.com

Photo courtesy of YouTube