Here's How Donald Trump Responded to Questions About His Father's Alleged 1927 Arrest

Fred Trump, Donald Trump's father, faced two arrests in his lifetime. The first occurred in 1927 during a Ku Klux Klan riot, while the second was in 1976 due to code violations at one of his Maryland properties. In a conversation with a journalist, Donald was questioned about his father's involvement in neighborhood development and the 1927 arrest. This exchange was reported by the New York Times. The journalist asked, "Have you seen this story about police arresting a Fred Trump who lived at that Devonshire address in 1927 after a Ku Klux Klan rally turned violent?"

To this, Donald replied, "Totally false. We lived in Wareham. The Devonshire - I know there is a road Devonshire but I don't think my father ever lived on Devonshire." The journalist then asked, "The Census shows that he lived there with your mother there. But regardless, you never heard about that story." Donald replied, "It never happened. And by the way, I saw that one little website said it. It never happened. And they said there were no charges, no nothing." He added, "There were no charges against him, I don't know about other people involved. But there were zero charges against him."

Meanwhile, USA Today reports that social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have seen a resurgence of posts claiming that the former president's father was arrested during a violent Ku Klux Klan rally in Queens, New York, in 1927. This accusation initially emerged during the 2016 presidential campaign. In September 2015, a tech blog republished a 1927 article reporting the detention of Donald's father at a KKK rally over Memorial Day weekend. According to the article, “1,000 white-robed Klansmen marched through the Jamaica neighborhood, eventually spurring an all-out brawl in which seven men were arrested.”

The article thoroughly accounts for the charges brought against the six individuals involved. However, it does not specify any charges against the elder Trump, only noting that he was released. There is no indication in the article that Donald's father was affiliated with or supported the KKK, nor does it clarify whether he was a bystander, wrongly accused, or a victim of mistaken identity in the tumultuous situation. Meanwhile, in the interview, Donald also added, "So assuming it was him - I don't even think it was him, I never even heard about it. So it's really not fair to mention. It never really happened."

Later in the interview, Trump revisited the 1927 report after expressing discontent with a prior article concerning him. He said, "What? It comes out on a website and you will write it in The New York Times? It shouldn't be written because it never happened, No. 1, and No. 2, there was nobody charged." Meanwhile, Donald is poised to become the first major candidate to navigate four criminal trials during an election year. Throughout his campaign, he has advocated for expanding the president's authority to hire and dismiss government employees, advocating for the replacement of civil servants with political allies, according to USA Today.

Editor's note: This article was originally published on March 30, 2024. It has since been updated.