What to Know
When meeting with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, President Donald Trump seemed to forget where his own father was born. The 79-year-old suggested that he feels “warmly” about Germany because that’s where his dad was born, which would make sense if not for the fact that his dad was actually born in New York City.
Trump started by saying his mother was born in the United Kingdom. That part is actually true. His mom, Mary Anne Macleod Trump, was born in Scotland. But what he said next has some people convinced that Trump might need to take more of the cognitive tests he’s bragged about acing.
Trump suggested that he appreciates Germany because of his dad.
“My father was born…” Trump started, then he gestured toward Merz and said, “He knows all about my father.” He continued, “My father was born there. There are places that you sort of automatically very, very, feel warmly about.” So, it clearly sounds like Trump believes his father, Fred Trump, was born in Germany, even though he was born in the Bronx in 1905.
It’s possible that Trump confused his father with his grandfather, Frederich Trump, who actually was born in Germany. Trump’s niece Mary Trump, who is also one of his most vocal critics, confirmed this mistake on social media.
On X, she wrote, “This is not the kind of insider knowledge most people have access to, but my grandfather, Fred Trump, Sr., was not born in Germany; he was born in the Bronx, NY, and grew up in Woodhaven, Queens–something you’d think his favorite son would know.”
This is not the kind of insider knowledge most people have access to, but my grandfather, Fred Trump, Sr., was not born in Germany; he was born in the Bronx, NY, and grew up in Woodhaven, Queens–something you'd think his favorite son would know.
— Mary L Trump (@MaryLTrump) March 4, 2026
Critics on social media questioned Trump’s memory.
Because it kind of seems like you would remember where your father was born if you’re “acing” cognitive tests. “Today Donald Trump forgot where his father was born,” one person wrote, sharing the clip of the apparent blunder. “BRING OUT THE COGNITIVE TESTS AGAIN!”
Today Donald Trump forgot where his father was born. BRING OUT THE COGNITIVE TESTS AGAIN! pic.twitter.com/T0JWejqEyc
— David Pakman (@dpakman) March 3, 2026
But some people pointed out that if Trump were to take a cognitive test again, he’d probably still brag about the results. “He’s going to brag about identifying a rabbit a bear and an apple,” one person wrote. Trump previously revealed that during his tests, he was asked to identify animals. To be fair, he can probably still do that, someone else joked. “Don’t be too harsh,” they wrote. “I bet he still knows the difference between an elephant and a giraffe.”
Others argued that Trump was probably just lying.
Did he actually forget where his dad was born, or was he just making stuff up? With Trump, people feel like either is possible. And considering it’s not the first time Trump has tried to claim his dad was born in Germany, some people argued that this was probably not a mistake and also not a result of older age. Not that that really makes it any better.
“It is more likely Trump lies to try and find common ground with people for popularity and later name-dropping,” someone speculated. “Just as bad, and he’s disingenuous.”
Per USA Today, in 2019, Trump claimed that his dad was “born in a very wonderful place in Germany.” In 2018, he told CBS, “Don’t forget both my parents were born in EU sectors, OK? I mean, my mother was Scotland, my father was Germany.” Hmm.
