Fact check: Was donald trumps grandfather an illegal immigrant?

1. Summary of the results

The claim that Donald Trump's grandfather was an illegal immigrant has been analyzed by multiple sources. According to ^[1], Friedrich Trump's emigration to the United States in 1885 was considered a violation of German law because he had not fulfilled his mandatory military service, but it does not explicitly call his emigration illegal ^[1]. However, ^[2] states that Friedrich Trump's emigration was indeed illegal under Bavarian law because he had not fulfilled his military service, although he was not considered an illegal immigrant under U.S. law at the time ^[2]. Similar conclusions are drawn by ^[1], ^[3], and ^[2], which all suggest that Friedrich Trump's departure from Germany was considered unlawful by German authorities due to his avoidance of military service ^{[1] [3] [2]}. The majority of the sources agree that Donald Trump's grandfather was an illegal immigrant under German law, although the U.S. did not consider him an illegal immigrant at the time of his entry ^{[2] [3]}.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Some sources provide additional context that is not directly relevant to the claim, such as ^[4], which discusses Donald Trump's mother's immigration to the U.S. ^[4]. Other sources, like ^[5], provide general information about the Trump family but do not explicitly address the claim ^[5]. An alternative viewpoint is presented by ^[6], which discusses the Trump family's German roots and how Friedrich Trump's departure was seen as an attempt to evade military service, implying that his immigration status might have been irregular ^[6]. However, the key missing context is the distinction between German and U.S. immigration laws at the time, which is crucial in understanding why Friedrich Trump was considered an illegal immigrant under German law but not under U.S. law ^{[2] [3]}.

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement may be considered misleading because it does not provide the necessary context about the difference between German and U.S. immigration laws at the time ^[2]. The statement could be seen as biased towards portraying Donald Trump's grandfather in a negative light, as it does not acknowledge that he was not considered an illegal immigrant under U.S. law ^[3]. Additionally, the statement may benefit those who seek to criticize Donald Trump's immigration policies by highlighting the irony of his grandfather's immigration status ^{[2] [3]}. On the other hand, the statement may also be seen as biased against German immigration laws and the concept of mandatory military service, as it implies that avoiding military service is a legitimate reason for immigration ^{[1] [2]}. Ultimately, the statement benefits those who seek to emphasize the complexities of immigration laws and the need for nuanced discussions about immigration policies ^{[1] [3] [6]}.