Fact Check: Is Trump's claim his father was born in Germany true?
WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump on Tuesday, March 3, held a long-planned bilateral meeting at the White House with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
During the meeting, the POTUS claimed that his father was born in Germany, as he said Merz "knows all about my father". But is there any truth to his statement? Let us find out below,
Claim: Trump says his father was born in Germany
President Trump and Friedrich Merz spoke to reporters from the Oval Office on Tuesday following a long-planned bilateral meeting at the White House.
The POTUS criticized Spain and the UK over the countries’ lack of support as he responded to a question about US-Israeli military actions against Iran. He said that Spain 'has been terrible' as he threatened to cut off all trade with the country.
Trump's dad was in fact born in New York City https://t.co/rd7X9CZ83N
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) March 3, 2026
He then talked about the United Kingdom and said he is not happy with it. He said, "The UK has been, very, very, uncooperative with that stupid island they have, that they gave away and took a 100-year lease," while referring to the UK’s decision to transfer sovereignty of the Chagos Islands.
Trump said, "They ruin relationships. It’s a shame. And I love that country. I love it. My mother was born there," adding, "My father was born — he knows all about my father", while gesturing to Merz.
"My father was born there. There are places that you sort of automatically very, very — feel warmly about," the POTUS added.
Fact Check: False, Trump's father was born in New York
The claim made by Donald Trump that his father, Fred Trump, was born in Germany was false, as his father was born in the Bronx, New York City.
However, it was the POTUS' grandparents, Frederich Trump and Elizabeth Christ Trump, who immigrated to the US from Germany.
Interestingly, this isn't the first time Trump has made this mistake. In 2018, he told CBS News that his father had been born in Germany.
Trump just said "my father is German, was German. Born in a very wonderful place in Germany." Fred Trump was born in New York. pic.twitter.com/U6eWYPzjrJ
— Tommy moderna-vaX-Topher (@tommyxtopher) April 2, 2019
During another press briefing in 2019, the President had said, "My father is German, was German, born in a very wonderful place in Germany, so I have a very great feeling for Germany."
During the interaction with the reporters, Trump also took a jab at Spain and said, "Spain has been terrible. In fact, I told Scott [Bessent] to cut off all dealings with Spain."
He also responded to Spain’s refusal to allow the US to use its air bases to conduct strikes in Iran. He said, "And now Spain actually said that we can’t use their bases and that’s all right. We could use their base if we want. We could just fly in and use it. Nobody’s going to tell us not to use it."
