Fact Check: Is Donald Trump's claim George Washington 'probably didn't' own slaves true?

WASHINGTON, DC: Speaking at the Faith and Freedom Coalition's Road to Majority conference in Washington, DC, on Saturday, June 22, Donald Trump claimed that the first President of the United States George Washington "probably didn't" own slaves.

The 45th president, known for spreading misinformation and falsities, once again contradicted the facts regarding the Founding Father's slave ownership.

Trump's assertion about Washington is inaccurate, as his ownership of slaves is a well-documented fact.

What did Donald Trump claim about George Washington's ownership of slaves?

During his keynote speech at the conservative Christian group's 2024 Road to Majority conference, Trump slammed the proposal to rename places, including schools and military facilities, that honored slave owners and Confederate leaders.

Under President Joe Biden, the Army renamed nine installations that were previously named after Confederate generals. Criticizing the measure, the presumptive GOP presidential nominee said, "How about George Washington High School? 'We want the name removed from that high school'. They don't know why. You know, they thought he had slaves. Actually, I think he probably didn't."

Fact check: George Washington did own slaves

The first president of the United States was indeed a slave owner.

At the time of Washington's death in 1799, Mount Vernon, his home and plantation in Virginia, had 317 enslaved persons, including 123 owned by the Founding Father himself, according to CNN.

"George Washington owned slaves. We know this by his own hand. He kept ledgers on everyone he enslaved," stated Alexis Coe, who authored 'You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George Washington'.

Coe, who is a senior fellow at the think tank New America, criticized Trump for making the false claim, noting it was "reprehensible, on a personal level, to deny such a thing" as well as "dangerous to our country" for a major party candidate to propagate inaccurate assertions on US history.

Mount Vernon website says the people enslaved on the property "grew steadily" during Washington's time between 1754 and 1799. Out of the 317 slaves, 41 were leased from other plantations, and 153 were from his wife, Martha Washington's first husband's estate.

George Washington privately struggled with the moral complexities of slavery

According to the Mount Vernon website, the inaugural president "purchased dozens of enslaved people from estate sales and in private transactions" while he was young. At the age of 11, he received 10 slaves as an inheritance from his father.

However, Washington struggled with the concept of slavery in the last two decades before his death and privately backed the idea of eliminating slavery through legislation.

At the time of his death on December 14, 1799, he immediately emancipated his longtime manservant through his will, which also required him to liberate other slaves after his wife Martha's death. She freed the rest of the slaves a year after Washington died, except the ones she inherited.