Astrophysicist Stephen Hawking is internationally renowned for his insights into space, time, and the fundamental nature of the universe and how it was formed. Despite all this knowledge, Hawking is confounded by the Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump.For Stephen Hawking, the world-renowned expert in theoretical physics and cosmology, the success of Donald Trump s presidential campaign is a mystery.Hawking called Trump  a demagogue who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator,  during an appearance on the United Kingdom s ITV network.In addition to his scientific work, Hawking, who has a slow-progressing form of ALS, is a vocal advocate for individuals with disabilities. Trump drew criticism late last year on the campaign trail when he appeared to mock a New York Times reporter with a disability at a rally in South Carolina. Trump later denied mocking the reporter and said he had never met him.Hawking is far from the first prominent British citizen to speak out on Trump. The GOP standardbearer has been so extreme in his rhetoric, especially when it comes to attacking Latinos (he called Mexicans criminals and  rapists ) and Muslims (Trump called for a ban on Muslim travel to the United States), that Prime Minister David Cameron was compelled to speak out.While Cameron disagreed with some who called for a ban on Trump traveling to the United Kingdom, he described the proposal as  divisive, stupid and wrong.  Trump responded to the slam by indicating that he would hold it against Cameron should he be elected president, creating distance between the two countries and their famously strong alliance.Unlike Hawking and Cameron, Trump s anti-Muslim leanings have shown to be popular with Republicans, as polls have shown that a majority of the party s voters support it, including voters who backed candidates other than Trump in the primary.Featured image via Flickr