Donald Trump and controversy go hand in hand. At this point, he’s practically synonymous with bold headlines, polarizing policies, and viral moments that light up social media. Whether it’s a press conference gone sideways or an executive order that sparks furious debate, Trump is no stranger to public scrutiny. And this time, it’s not something he said, but something from his own past, that’s got everyone talking.
Donald Trump has made it his mission to crack down on immigration. Since starting his second term in January, he’s pushed forward plans to deport millions and even limit birthright citizenship for kids born in the U.S. to immigrant parents.
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But this time, critics have come back with something that’s caught fire online: a reminder of where Trump’s own family came from.
A viral video is resurfacing the fact that Trump’s mother, Mary Anne MacLeod, was actually born in Scotland, not the U.S. She moved to America in 1930, worked as a domestic servant, and eventually married Fred Trump, whose parents had also come to the States from Germany. So yeah… both of Donald Trump’s parents were immigrants.
Now, people are pointing out the obvious: if Trump’s new rules had applied back then, he might not be a citizen either. “Oh so you’re telling me he benefited from the very birthright citizenship he is so desperately trying to get rid of??” one person wrote on Instagram.
Another added, “Trump needs to be deported too. According to him, it doesn’t matter if you are born here. Technically he is not a citizen of the US.”
Donald Trump’s mother, Mary, was an immigrant: https://t.co/k3V1XkLS9e pic.twitter.com/x3YeEs2eM9
— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) June 20, 2018
And the takes didn’t stop there. One person wrote, “That’s why he should show some respect for immigrants.”
One more comment read, “So Trump’s parents are immigrants and he himself is a birthright child that he wants to get rid of birthright children.” “He’s rich off his immigrant parents literally,” said another user.
You get the idea.
Critics are calling it hypocrisy at its finest; pushing a policy that could punish innocent kids for being born under circumstances nearly identical to his own.
The law Trump wants to change comes from the 14th Amendment, which guarantees citizenship to anyone born in the U.S., no matter where their parents are from. But under his new executive order, that rule would be narrowed, possibly preventing thousands of U.S.-born kids from getting citizenship if their parents are undocumented.
It’s controversial, to say the least.
And now that people are taking a closer look at Trump’s past, a lot of them aren’t buying the moral high ground. “Aye aye aye, so you’re telling me the one threatening every immigrant is an immigrant himself?”
That about sums it up.
