My father was "born in Germany": when Donald Trump is wrong about his parents' place of birth
Donald Trump said on Tuesday April 2 that his father was German, born in Germany, to support a demonstration on the participation of the countries of the Old Continent in the NATO budget. The real estate mogul's father, Fred Trump, was born in New York to German immigrant parents. His mother, whose European birth he also claimed, was also born in the United States.
Among the whimsical statements of the American president, this one should be in a good position. Donald Trump assured Tuesday that his father "was German" and "was born in a very beautiful place in Germany". As reported by the American media, Fred Trump, Donald Trump's father, was born in New York, in 1905 and not in Germany as his son claims. The grandfather of the US President, Friedrich Trump, was indeed a German national who immigrated to the United States and acquired American citizenship on October 27, 1892.
It’s hard to understand the reasons that pushed Donald Trump to lie on this point, if not to back up his argument on Europe. Because when he made this declaration, the American president was once again speaking about NATO and explaining that the countries of the Old Continent, and more particularly Germany, were not contributing enough to the budget of the international organization.
WATCH: President Trump incorrectly says that his father Fred Trump was born in Germany https://t.co/ZeMdBprO7E pic.twitter.com/PWeQSSBVrv
— The Hill (@thehill) April 2, 2019
“Germany is honestly not paying its fair share,” he said, before expressing “great respect” for Chancellor Angela Merkel. This is where Donald Trump made sure he felt very close to the Germans: "My father is German, was German, he saw fit to indicate before continuing, he was born in a beautiful place in Germany. So I have a special feeling for this country. "
"Both my parents were born in Europe"
The Washington Post reminds us that this is not the first time that Donald Trump has disguised the reality of the birth of his two parents. In July, when he had just attacked European countries head-on, Donald Trump then pretended to be sorry. "It's a very difficult thing to go through - remember my parents were both born in Europe, okay? My mother was born in Scotland, my father in Germany. And, you know, I love these countries. "
At the NATO summit in Brussels, Donald Trump had already reoffended. "I respect Germany enormously, my father comes from Germany, he declared before continuing, my two parents were born in Europe, despite the fact that they do not treat us well from a commercial point of view" .
