A historian has made an interesting discovery about President-elect Donald Trump’s family. Apparently, Trump’s grandfather was banished from Germany in 1905 for not serving in the military.
Friedrich Trump, a German, was issued an order to never return to Germany.
Roland Paul, the historian who found this, said:
“Friedrich Trump emigrated from Germany to the USA in 1885. However, he failed to de-register from his homeland and had not carried out his military service, which is why the authorities rejected his attempt at repatriation.”
He went to the U.S. as a teenager, and made his fortune. After learning English, he went to the West Coast. He opened some restaurants and accumulated a large nest egg.
In 1901, he went back to Germany and met his wife, Elizabeth Christ. They were married in 1902. She didn’t want to leave Germany, but the government didn’t want them there. They issued a decree in 1905 ordering them to leave the country.
The German decree said:
“The American citizen and pensioner Friedrich Trump, currently residing in Kallstadt, is hereby informed that he is to depart the state of Bavaria, or face deportation.”
Trump wrote a letter asking to be allowed back into Germany because his wife wanted to go home.
Here is the letter:
Newly unearthed letter shows how #Trump's grandfather begged to stay in Germany https://t.co/ym74WV7FBK pic.twitter.com/sgxCBtaiNE
— NDTV (@ndtv) November 22, 2016
I guess the draft-dodging runs in the family. His grandson, and President-elect Donald Trump, dodged the Vietnam draft because he was in college.
He got five deferments during the years he was eligible to be drafted. He claimed to have bone spurs in his foot, but he played multiple sports in college.
We can blame the German government for the Trumps being in America. If grandpa wasn’t kicked out of the country, then the Trump’s would’ve been a German family. They may or may not have gotten as rich as they did in America.
Featured image via YouTube screenshot.
