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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump wrongly claims his dad was born in Germany -- for the third time
By Aaron Blake
April 2 at 3:28 PM
Of all the odd, counterfactual and conspiratorial claims President Trump has made over the past four years or so, this one may take the cake: He said Tuesday that his father was born in Germany, even though he wasnt.
It is at least the third time he has said this.
My father is German was German, Trump said. Born in a very wonderful place in Germany, so I have a great feeling for Germany.
This is not true. Fred Trump is of German descent, and his father was a German immigrant. But Fred Trump was born in New York. As The Washington Posts Philip Bump detailed shortly after Trumps election:
Donald Trumps grandfather, Friedrich Trump, emigrated from Germany to the United States in 1885. He landed in New York City but eventually made his way west, settling in Seattle. In November 1891, he bought a restaurant at 208 Washington Street in the city for $600. (This history is from Gwenda Blairs The Trumps, a history of the family.) It was in Seattle that Friedrich became a citizen on Oct. 27, 1892, just in time to register to vote in the 1892 presidential election, the first for which Washington was eligible to cast its ballots. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer listed Trump as a registered voter shortly before the November election.
Friedrich Trump was expelled from Germany in 1905, apparently because he had emigrated illegally. He and his wife, Elisabeth Trump, returned to the United States when she was pregnant with Fred Trump, the presidents father, according to The Posts reporting and Blairs book. So about the only way you could say Trumps father has claim to the German homeland is that he may have been conceived there.
Trump was perhaps using the claim to express solidarity with the man he was sitting next to Tuesday at the White House, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. The previous two times Trump made this bizarre claim were also while talking about U.S.-European relations.
In July, Trump named the European Union as one of the United States biggest foes. Maybe the thing that is most difficult dont forget both my parents were born in E.U. sectors, okay? he said. I mean, my mother was Scotland, my father was Germany. And you know I love those countries.
Trumps mom was, in fact, a Scottish immigrant. . . .
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/04/02/trump-wrongly-claims-his-dad-was-born-germany-third-time/?utm_term=.d955aefd0855
Link to tweet
PalmerReport
Donald Trumps day so far:
- Keeps saying he he wants to know the oranges of the Mueller probe
- Falsely claims his dad Fred Trump was born in Germany
- The subpoenas are flying, the Mueller report is coming, and whats left of Trumps brain is melting
- Its still only 5pm
Link to tweet
First, if you search Fred Trump you'll see multiple articles about the above incident. The Washington Post seems to be only one to state he said something wrong. None of them so far have said he lied. So it's great to see the mass media didn't learn a damn thing about calling a lie, a lie while covering Donny.
also, can we talk 25th amendment, now????
*Updated with video*
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elleng
(132,272 posts)![](/emoticons/rofl.gif)
ret5hd
(20,730 posts)Which is itself a bunch of fake news.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(116,635 posts)who is Norwegian? He used to claim his ancestors were Swedish; he should have stuck with that - it's at least a little closer. But maybe Trump doesn't know the difference between Germans, Swedes and Norwegians, they're all just a bunch of European, America-hating, cheese-eating surrender monkeys anyhow.
rogue emissary
(3,150 posts)It doesn't make sense other than his memory is going.
Irishxs
(622 posts)where my parents were born. His stupidity amazes me.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(116,635 posts)According to Wikipedia, Stoltenberg is 6'2" tall.
Isn't Spanky 6'3"?
rogue emissary
(3,150 posts)Rhiannon12866
(209,599 posts)kskiska
(27,057 posts)and hadn't become a citizen before Donald was born, Donald may have been ineligible to even run for president, not been a "natural born citizen," according to right-wing logic.
womanofthehills
(8,919 posts)In the book he co-authored, The Art of The Deal, he said his grandfather, who was actually born in Germany, was born in Sweden.
From Wiki:
dilby
(2,273 posts)Remember its more of him saying I am a 1st generation American not tainted by mongrel blood over him being excited about his German heritage.
Beringia
(4,332 posts)I think he honestly believes his father was born in Germany.