Donald Trump only living US president with ancestors who did not ...
In the history of the United States, Donald Trump has been the only living president who doesn't belong to a lineage that owned slaves. Apart from Trump, all the presidents of the US who are at present alive come from ancestors who had owned slaves at some point in their lives. This is according to an investigation conducted by Reuters, which examined the ancestral backlog of several US lawmakers and presidents.
Apart from the presidents, the investigation also revealed that out of several lawmakers, 11 governors, 100 members of US Congress and even two Supreme Court judges, currently alive, had ancestors who held slaves.
The group features notable figures from both political parties, including Republican leaders such as Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Senator Lindsey Graham, as well as Democratic Senators like Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth.
Barack Obama, the nation’s first Black president, is also linked to a slave owner through his white mother's lineage.
As reported by Reuters, the slaveholding ancestors of current U.S. presidents include:
- Joe Biden: One direct ancestor, five generations back, owned a single slave.
- Barack Obama: One direct ancestor, six generations back, owned two slaves.
- George Bush: One direct ancestor, six generations back, owned 25 slaves.
- Bill Clinton: One direct ancestor, five generations back, owned one slave.
- Jimmy Carter: One direct ancestor, four generations back, owned 54 slaves.
Donald Trump, however, is distinct in this regard. Unlike many other presidents with deep-rooted American ancestry, Trump's forebears immigrated to the United States only after the abolition of slavery in 1865.
Indeed, none of his grandparents were born in the U.S. His paternal grandparents hailed from Kallstadt, a small town in southwestern Germany, and moved to the U.S. in the early 1900s. In addition, his mother, Mary, was born in Scotland.
Despite his recent ancestry, Trump has consistently defended symbols of the Confederacy. During his presidency, he opposed efforts to rename military bases named after Confederate generals, even though the Department of Defense was receptive to such changes.
Trump is the Republican nominee for the upcoming US presidential elections. After the Democratic nominee, Joe Biden, withdrew his candidature from the race owing to his health condition, there are high chances that Trump will be facing Kamala Harris as his opponent.
