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Donald Trump is reportedly the only living US president whose ancestors did not own slaves.
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That’s because Trump’s ancestors came to America after slavery had already been abolished.
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Even Barack Obama is descended from slaveholders, through his white mother’s side of the family.
Every currently-living person who has served as President of the United States is descended from ancestors who owned slaves — except for Donald Trump.
That’s according to a new investigation from Reuters examining the ancestral history of American lawmakers and presidents. In addition to presidents, the investigation found that two Supreme Court Justices, 11 governors, and 100 members of Congress are the direct descendants of slaveholders.
They include prominent members of both parties, including Republicans like Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and Sen. Lindsey Graham and Democrats like Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tammy Duckworth.
Even Barack Obama — the country’s first Black president — is the descendant of a slaveowner on his white mother’s side of the family.
According to Reuters, the slaveholding ancestors of living US presidents include:
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Joe Biden — One direct ancestor, five generations removed, owned one slave
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Barack Obama — One director ancestor, six generations removed, owned two slaves
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George Bush — One director ancestor, six generations removed, owned 25 slaves
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Bill Clinton — One director ancestor, five generations removed, owned one slaves
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Jimmy Carter — One director ancestor, four generations removed, owned 54 slaves
But Trump stands out among the bunch.
While other presidents have deep ancestral roots in America, Trump’s ancestors did not immigrate to the United States until after slavery was abolished in 1865.
In fact, none of his grandparents were born in the United States. Trump’s paternal grandparents were born in Kallstadt, a small town in southwestern Germany, and emigrated to the US in the early 1900s. His mother Mary, meanwhile, was born in Scotland.
Despite this, Trump has a long history of defending symbols of the Confederacy — as President, he resisted the renaming of US military bases that had been named after Confederate generals, despite the Department of Defense being open to making changes.
He also once infamously declared that there were “very fine people on both sides” of a clash involving white nationalists in Charlottesville, Virginia over the removal of a statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee.
Read the original article on Business Insider
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