An Old New York Times Article Suggests Donald Trump's Dad Was In The KKK
A New York Times article from 1927 implies Donald Trump's father, Fred Trump, was linked to the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), TPM reports.
1927 article from the NY Times suggests Donald Trump's father was a member of the KKK, arrested for fighting police. pic.twitter.com/ly0QO6yLqI — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) September 10, 2015
According to the NYT article, there was a brawl between the KKK and police in New York City during a Memorial Day parade in 1927, resulting in a number of arrests.
A man named Fred Trump, who lived at 175-24 Devonshire Road in Jamaica Estates, Queens was reportedly among those arrested.
As TPM highlights, previous local news reports suggest Donald Trump's father did indeed live at that address.
It's difficult to conclude unequivocally whether or not Trump's father was actually a member of the KKK. These developments, however, are pertinent in relation to other allegations of racism against the Trump family.
For example, the Trump family's real estate company, Trump Management Corporation, was sued by the Justice Department for alleged racial discrimination in 1973, Huffington Post notes.
The company was accused of discriminating against blacks who aimed to rent housing in Brooklyn, Queens and Staten Island.
It supposedly did not offer fair rental terms and sometimes lied and told black people apartments weren't available. Trump ultimately settled the case two years later.
There's also the fact Donald Trump made a number of incendiary remarks, recently highlighted by The New York Times, regarding minorities over the years.
His rhetoric continued to generate controversy in recent months via his campaign for the presidency, which focuses heavily on undocumented immigration.
In spite of all this, Trump is currently the Republican frontrunner.
Correspondingly, it's evident at least some of his supporters are vocal white supremacists, as noted by The New Yorker. This does not indicate Trump is a white supremacist, but his rhetoric arguably attracts such people.
Donald Trump continuously argues he's not racist, even as mounting evidence seemingly points to the contrary.
Citations: Trumps Dad Was Arrested In 1927 Ku Klux Klan Brawl With Police (TPM), Donald Trump Was Once Sued By Justice Department For Not Renting To Blacks (Huffington Post), Donald Trumps Instinct for Racially Charged Rhetoric Before His Presidential Bid (The New York Times), The Fearful and the Frustrated (The New Yorker)