Which of Donald Trump's grandparents immigrated to the U.S. and when did they arrive?

1. The immigrant who began the American Trump story: Friedrich “Frederick” Trump

Friedrich Trump, later known in the U.S. as Frederick, left Kallstadt in the Kingdom of Bavaria and sailed to New York in 1885; passenger records and biographies report he departed Bremen on October 7 and landed at Castle Garden on October 19, 1885 as a 16‑year‑old ^[1]. Contemporary histories and biographies frame this 1885 arrival as the opening act of the family’s ascent — Friedrich worked immediately and later became a businessman whose life set up later generations ^{[1] [6]}.

2. Elizabeth Christ Trump: return trips, family formation and 1905 re‑emigration

Sources indicate Elizabeth Christ, Friedrich’s wife, also emigrated from the German region that produced the Trump paternal line. After Friedrich’s initial U.S. migration and subsequent return to Germany, reporting describes the couple leaving Germany for the United States again together (with their young daughter, the future Fred Trump Sr.) aboard the Hapag steamship Pennsylvania on July 1, 1905, bound for America ^[3]. Harper’s and other profiles document Friedrich’s back‑and‑forth migration tied to avoiding mandatory Bavarian military service and later formal registration issues ^{[7] [3]}.

3. The maternal side: Scottish origins and a known 1930 arrival for Mary MacLeod

Reporting and family histories emphasize that Donald Trump’s mother, Mary MacLeod, was Scottish and emigrated to the United States in 1930 with limited funds, working as domestic help before marrying Fred Trump ^{[4] [5]}. Those sources describe her 1930 arrival specifically, but they do not provide arrival dates for her parents (Donald Trump’s maternal grandparents); available sources do not mention those details ^{[4] [5]}.

4. How historians and journalists treat “illegality,” conscription and public memory

Several accounts underscore that Friedrich’s 1885 emigration violated Bavarian law because he had not completed mandatory military service; scholars and journalists cite letters and official records documenting his legal difficulties and a 1905 demand that he register his prior emigration ^{[1] [7]}. Commentators have used that history to contrast the family’s immigrant roots with later political positions held by descendants; some writers frame Friedrich’s migration as typical of large European migration waves of the era ^{[2] [8]}.

5. Disagreements, omissions and what the sources don’t say

The provided sources agree on Friedrich’s 1885 arrival and on a 1905 transatlantic departure that included Elizabeth and the young Fred; they also agree Mary MacLeod came in 1930 ^{[1] [3] [5]}. Sources differ in emphasis—biographies and newspapers stress entrepreneurial outcomes, while opinion pieces highlight tensions between the family’s immigrant past and later political rhetoric ^{[2] [8]}. Sources do not supply exact arrival dates or ports for Elizabeth’s first emigration separate from the 1905 voyage, nor do they provide arrival dates for Donald Trump’s maternal grandparents; available sources do not mention those specifics ^{[1] [5]}.

6. Why these dates matter in public discourse

The specific years — 1885 for Friedrich and 1930 for Mary MacLeod — anchor narratives used by both journalists and political commentators: one emphasizes classic 19th‑century European immigration and upward mobility, the other highlights 20th‑century Scottish migration of a working‑class mother ^{[1] [5]}. Some commentators use Friedrich’s draft‑dodging and legal friction as a rhetorical device when discussing contemporary immigration policy debates surrounding “chain migration” or admissibility, but interpretations of motive and relevance vary across sources ^{[7] [2] [8]}.

If you want, I can compile the cited primary passenger‑record passages and book excerpts from the listed sources into a timeline showing every documented transatlantic voyage tied to the Trump grandparents.