Donald Trump’s family tree: from German immigrant grandfather Friedrich to millionaire mogul father Frederick, to Ivana, Ivanka, Melania, Eric and the rest
Love him or hate him, US President Donald Trump has dominated the news for the past 4 years, but let’s get to know a little more about his ancestry – here’s how America’s first family arrived in New York on a steamship from Germany in 1885 and built a sprawling empire in 4 generations
The Trump family has been making headlines for decades – first, as bigwigs in the real estate world, and now as some of the most powerful politicians in America.
Recently, a new member of the Trump family stepped into the spotlight. President Trump’s niece, Mary Trump, is set to publish a book titled Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man on July 28, the Daily Beast reported.
In the book, Mary is said to reveal that she was a source behind The New York Times’ investigation into her uncle’s finances and says that he mocked his father, Fred Trump, as he suffered from Alzheimer’s disease in his later years.
Coincidentally, another book, The Art of Her Deal about Melania Trump, also made headlines last week. Written by Pulitzer Prize-winning The Washington Post correspondent Mary Jordan, the book says that Melania renegotiated her prenup after Trump’s presidential win in 2016 and that there was friction between Ivanka and Melania in the early days of Trump’s tenure, something the White House has called “totally false.”
Here’s a look into the dynasty behind the first family of the US.
Donald Trump’s grandfather, Friedrich Trump – born Friedrich Drumpf – emigrated to the US from Germany in 1885 at the age of 16
Friedrich Trump was born in Kallstadt, Germany, and arrived in New York on a steamship. “He didn't know English. He couldn’t possibly have known English. He didn't have anything like a high school diploma. He was literate, but in German,” Gwenda Blair, the author behind the 2000 book The Trumps: Three Generations That Built an Empire told The Washington Post.
Friedrich Trump’s family in Germany had modest means and ran a small vineyard. Once he landed in New York, he lived with his older sister on the lower east side in Manhattan. A few years later, Friedrich moved to the Pacific northwest, where he ran multiple businesses, such as restaurants and hotels, across the region in former mining towns during the gold rush.
For years, the family claimed they were Swedish