Stephen Hawking once said the popularity of “demagogue” Donald Trump was beyond even his understanding.

The world-famous theoretical physicist had made no secret of his disdain for the then-Republican Party presidential nominee-in-waiting, having joked previously about his intelligence.

Asked if his knowledge of the universe meant he could explain the popular appeal of billionaire Mr Trump, he told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “I can’t... He is a demagogue, who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator.”

The tycoon’s strategy eventually paid off, however. A year-and-a-half later, following Mr Trump’s election, Professor Hawking told Wired he was also worried about the Republican’s stance on climate change, but feared it would not change if he continued to “appease his electorate”.

In the May, 2016 ITV interview, Professor Hawking also renewed his appeal to British voters to back remaining in the EU for the sake of science, as well as for economic and security reasons.

“Gone are the days we could stand on our own, against the world. We need to be part of a larger group of nations, both for our security, and our trade”, he said about Brexit.

“The possibility of our leaving the EU has already led to a sharp fall in the pound, because the markets judge that it will damage our economy.”

Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Show all 23 1 /23 Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking at his Oxford graduation SWNS Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist at Cambridge University in 1988 Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking navigates the narrow streets between his residence and university Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking as a young man Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking and Nobel Prize winner Dorothy Hodgkin with their portraits unveiled at the National Portrait Gallery in London, 1992 PA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking and his new bride Elaine Mason pose for pictures after the blessing of their wedding in 1995 Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking arriving at the Chilean Antarctic base in 1997 Alamy Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Bill Gates, accompanied by vice-chancellor Alec Broers, meets Hawking on a visit to Cambridge University in 1997 Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking celebrates his 60th birthday in 2002 at Cambridge University Brian Harris Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking holds a lecture for a symposium of cosmologists at Stockholm University in 2003 AP Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist floats in a weightless environment during a flight aboard a modified Boeing 727 in 2007 EPA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Stephen Hawking addresses a public meeting in Cape Town, 2008. Hawking was in South Africa for a short visit, accompanied by Nobel laureates David Gross and George Smoot Reuters Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Nelson Mandela Hawking in Johannesburg, 2008 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Barack Obama presents the Medal of Freedom to Hawking during a ceremony at the White House, 2009 Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures The physicist enjoys the sun at the Stephen Hawking Garden for Motor Neurone Disease at the Chelsea Flower Show in 2010 Susannah Ireland Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking speaks via satellite during the Science Channel portion of the 2010 Television Critics Association Press Tour Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking speaks during a press conference in London, 2014. Intel demonstrated with the professor a new communications platform to replace his decades-old system EPA Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Actors Felicity Jones and Eddie Redmayne pose with Hawking at the UK premiere of the ‘The Theory of Everything’ in 2014 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking and Felicity Jones present the award for Special Visual Effects at the Baftas in 2015 Rex Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking takes part in a ‘Little Britain’ sketch for Red Nose Day 2015, with Catherine Tate and David Walliams Rex Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Pope Francis meets with Hawking at the Vatican in 2016 AFP/Getty Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Hawking receives his Freedom of the City of London scroll in 2017 AP Stephen Hawking: a life in pictures Participants listen to a recorded speech by Hawking on artificial intelligence at the Global Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing, 2017 AFP/Getty

He went on: ”There are two obvious reasons why we should stay in. The first is that it promotes the mobility of people. Students can come here from EU countries to study, and our students can go to other EU universities.

“More importantly, at the level of research, the exchange of people enables skills to transfer more quickly, and brings new people with different ideas, derived from their different backgrounds.

“The other reason is financial. The European Research Council has given large grants to UK institutions, either to foster research or to promote exchanges.”