January 16, 2018

Ali Velshi's explainers are the best, bar none. Monday's little lesson about so-called 'chain migration' and Donald Trump's family tree is destined to be a classic.

"While the president is calling to end this program, he himself is the result of family migration," said Velshi.

Back in 1885, Donald Trump's grandfather, Friedrich trump, immigrated from Germany as a 16-year-old who spoke little English. According to a biography, he came to NewYork City to join his elder sister, who had immigrated a year early."

"Friedrich worked as a barber and became a U.S. Citizen in 1892," he continued.

"Now, a decade later, he married a woman from Germany named Elizabeth and brought her to the United States to live with him." So naturalized citizen Friederich reaches back to Germany for his wife, and then brings her here, because what spouse wants to live across the Atlantic Ocean anyway?

She later gave birth to Fred Trump, who is Donald Trump's father. Fred grew up in Queens, and according to New York Times, he started his own construction company before the age of 21."

"That business took off, and a New York paper later referred to him as the Henry Ford of the home building industry." Racism and Fred Trump were a parallel to Henry Ford, too!

"In 1936, Fred met a woman at a party. Her name was Maryann McLeod. She had immigrated from Scotland six years earlier to live with her sister in New York City. Fred and Maryanne later married and had children, one of whom is President Trump," Velshi concluded.

Hoooo boy lookee there. All those chain (family) migrators in such a short time. What could be the difference between the current "president" and the people who immigrate to the United States now? Hmmmm.

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