(Danbury, CT) – Preeminent mathematician and computer scientist Donald Knuth has been nominated by President Donald Trump for the Secretary of Maths and Methods Cabinet position.

Dr. Knuth has contributed greatly to the analysis of the computational complexity of algorithms and formal mathematical techniques. He served for eight years as a ranch hand in North Dakota, where he wrote his famous multi-volume grand opus “The Art of Computer Programming.” These books are required purchases for all students of computer science, and look very nice on the bookshelves of aspiring Java programmers next to any hardcover edition of Richard Feynman’s Lectures on Physics.

President Trump told reporters that he selected Dr. Knuth after arriving in the White House and realizing that the job was more complicated than he had thought.

President Trump indicated that he hopes Dr. Knuth can bring order and rigour to the bureaucracy of Washington, or at the very least, reduce his executive orders to symbolic language that is familiar to mathematicians, but not understandable by lawyers. Due to Dr. Knuth’s contributions to the Journal of Recreational Linguistics, he seemed a natural for the job.

“It was either Knuth or Raymond Smullyan; both are great. Just great. But I can’t really understand  why Smullyan is so preoccupied with truth tellers and liars. It’s almost an obsession. I don’t worry about things like that, so I picked Donald Knuth. A good name. I like his name. It just feels right. Donald; Donald,” said the President.

Dr. Knuth will need to be confirmed by the Senate prior to taking up his post. So far, no senators have volunteered to participate in the confirmation hearings, due to their reported fear of math and complicated things.

When asked to comment on his candidacy, Dr. Knuth reportedly said, “Life is too short. You’ve got to be kidding!”