{"id":1480,"date":"2025-07-04T07:06:28","date_gmt":"2025-07-04T07:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/?p=1480"},"modified":"2025-07-04T08:18:46","modified_gmt":"2025-07-04T08:18:46","slug":"donald-trump-and-the-immigrant-mirror-when-anti-migrant-rhetoric-ignores-its-own-roots","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/2025\/07\/04\/donald-trump-and-the-immigrant-mirror-when-anti-migrant-rhetoric-ignores-its-own-roots\/","title":{"rendered":"Donald Trump and the Immigrant Mirror: When Anti-Migrant Rhetoric Ignores Its Own Roots"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Photo credit: Donald Trump shakes now Vice-President Mike Pence&#8217;s hands as his sons Eric, daughter-in-law Lara Yunaska, daughter Ivanka, Ivanka&#8217;s husband Jarred Kushner, son Donald jnr and wife Vanessa, and daughter Tiffany look on during the campaign.Credit:AP\/File<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"593\" height=\"765\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-13.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1484\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-13.png 593w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-13-233x300.png 233w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 593px) 100vw, 593px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>When (former) U.S. President Donald J. Trump recently claimed that immigrants were \u201cpoisoning the blood of our country,\u201d the world recoiled\u2014not only at the cruelty of such rhetoric, but at the breathtaking hypocrisy behind it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Trump is not just the child of immigrants. His entire personal life, marriage history, and even his children\u2019s extended families are steeped in the immigrant journey. To condemn immigration so viciously while standing on the very foundation it provided him is to spit into the well from which one drinks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump: The Son and Grandson of Immigrants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Let us begin with the facts:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Friedrich Trump<\/strong>, Donald\u2019s grandfather, was a German immigrant who arrived in the United States in 1885. He came with little and profited from ventures that included hotels and brothels during the Gold Rush. He was not a \u201cpure-blooded American.\u201d He was a migrant, no different in spirit than many of today\u2019s asylum seekers and economic refugees.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Mary Anne MacLeod<\/strong>, Trump\u2019s mother, was born in <strong>Scotland<\/strong>. She immigrated to the U.S. in 1930 and worked as a domestic servant before marrying Fred Trump. Her accent never faded, and her paperwork reflected the immigrant experience\u2014one of hope, uncertainty, and adaptation.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Thus, Donald Trump is the <strong>direct product of European migration<\/strong>. Yet, he dares to talk about protecting American &#8220;blood&#8221; as if it were something ancient and pure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump\u2019s Wives: Also Immigrants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Trump married <strong>Ivana Zeln\u00ed\u010dkov\u00e1<\/strong>, a Czech-born athlete and model, in 1977. She was a legal immigrant from communist Czechoslovakia. Together, they had three children\u2014Donald Jr., Ivanka, and Eric.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His current wife, <strong>Melania Trump<\/strong>, was born in <strong>Slovenia<\/strong> and arrived in the U.S. in the mid-1990s. There have been persistent reports\u2014never fully resolved\u2014that she may have initially worked in the U.S. while on a tourist visa, which would be a violation of immigration laws. Yet, she would later sponsor her own parents under the <strong>family reunification visa system<\/strong>\u2014the very \u201cchain migration\u201d Trump himself criticized.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trump\u2019s Children: Intertwined With Migrant Families<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Trump\u2019s beloved daughter <strong>Ivanka<\/strong> married <strong>Jared Kushner<\/strong>, whose own family were Jewish immigrants who fled persecution in Eastern Europe. But it goes further:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Jared Kushner\u2019s <strong>father-in-law<\/strong> (Ivanka\u2019s father-in-law), <strong>Charles Kushner<\/strong>, was the son of <strong>Holocaust survivors<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Jared and Ivanka&#8217;s extended family includes Jewish, Eastern European, and Middle Eastern roots.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>And what of <strong>Tiffany Trump<\/strong>, Donald\u2019s daughter with Marla Maples? Her fianc\u00e9, <strong>Michael Boulos<\/strong>, is the son of a wealthy Lebanese businessman. Michael Boulos himself grew up in Nigeria and has <strong>Lebanese Christian heritage<\/strong>\u2014yet another \u201cimmigrant\u201d branch that enters the Trump family tree.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So, by any honest reckoning, Donald Trump&#8217;s <strong>grandchildren<\/strong> are the descendants of <strong>Germans, Scots, Czechs, Slovenians, Jews, and Lebanese Christians<\/strong>\u2014all immigrants to the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Mirror Trump Refuses to Look Into<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Why, then, would a man with such a richly migrant lineage preach xenophobia?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The answer may lie in the age-old political tool: <strong>scapegoating<\/strong>. History shows that demagogues often whip up fear against newcomers to energize a disillusioned majority. \u201cOthering\u201d works in politics\u2014but it tears apart societies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What makes Trump\u2019s case worse is that his targets are not privileged European migrants like his own family, but mostly <strong>brown and black migrants<\/strong> from Latin America, Africa, and Muslim-majority countries. His \u201cpoisoned blood\u201d remark reeks of <strong>racial hierarchy<\/strong>\u2014not policy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It is ironic that a <strong>Lebanese Christian<\/strong>, had he tried to enter the U.S. today under Trump\u2019s proposed policies, might have faced extreme vetting or even denial. Yet, one such man is now the <strong>father-in-law of Trump\u2019s own daughter<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Lessons for Myanmar Migrants and the World<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>For those of us from Myanmar\u2014especially Muslims and ethnic minorities\u2014Trump\u2019s hypocrisy should serve as a reminder. Migrants are not poison. <strong>We are builders<\/strong>\u2014of economies, of families, and of peaceful futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Whether Burmese Muslims in Malaysia, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, or Myanmar professionals in America and Europe\u2014our stories deserve dignity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The glass ceilings that hold us back can and must be shattered\u2014not by conforming blindly, but by standing firm in truth and contribution. We must also resist the dangerous idea that we must &#8220;assimilate&#8221; entirely to be accepted. True multicultural societies thrive on <strong>mutual respect<\/strong>, not erasure of identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Let Trump\u2019s contradictions be a mirror to a better truth:<br>That the <strong>sons and daughters of immigrants<\/strong> often become the very pillars of the countries they once struggled to enter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>U Aung Tin<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u1014\u1031\u102c\u1000\u103a\u1019\u103e\u101d\u1004\u103a\u101c\u102c\u1010\u1032\u1037 \u1021\u1004\u103a\u1019\u102e\u1038\u1002\u101b\u1014\u1037\u103a\u1010\u103d\u1031\u101f\u102c \u1021\u1019\u1031\u101b\u102d\u1000\u1014\u103a\u101b\u1032\u1037\u101e\u103d\u1031\u1038\u101e\u1014\u1037\u103a\u1005\u1004\u103a\u1019\u103e\u102f\u1010\u103d\u1031\u1000\u102d\u102f \u1016\u103b\u1000\u103a\u1006\u102e\u1038\u1014\u1031\u1010\u101a\u103a\u101c\u102d\u102f\u1037 \u1012\u1031\u102b\u103a\u1014\u101a\u103a\u1011\u101b\u1019\u1037\u103a\u1000 \u1015\u103c\u1031\u102c\u1010\u101a\u103a\u104b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u101e\u1030\u1037\u1021\u1016\u102d\u102f\u1038\u101c\u100a\u103a\u1038 \u1021\u1004\u103a\u1019\u102e\u1038\u1002\u101b\u1014\u1037\u103a\u1015\u1032\u104b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u101e\u1030\u1037\u1021\u1019\u1031\u101c\u100a\u103a\u1038 \u1021\u1004\u103a\u1019\u102e\u1038\u1002\u101b\u1014\u1037\u103a\u1015\u1032\u104b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a><\/a>\u101e\u1030\u1037\u1021\u101b\u1004\u103a\u1019\u102d\u1014\u103a\u1038\u1019\u1014\u1032\u1037 \u101c\u1000\u103a\u101b\u103e\u102d\u1019\u1014\u103a\u1038\u1019\u1010\u102d\u102f\u1037\u101f\u102c \u1021\u1019\u1031\u101b\u102d\u1000\u1014\u103a\u1000\u102d\u102f \u101c\u102d\u1019\u103a\u101c\u100a\u103a\u1015\u103c\u102e\u1038 \u101d\u1004\u103a\u101b\u1031\u102c\u1000\u103a\u101c\u102c\u1001\u1032\u1037\u1010\u1032\u1037 \u1021\u1004\u103a\u1019\u102e\u1038\u1002\u101b\u1014\u1037\u103a\u1010\u103d\u1031\u1016\u103c\u1005\u103a\u1010\u101a\u103a\u104b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u1011\u101b\u1019\u1037\u103a\u1019\u102d\u1014\u103a\u1038\u1019 \u1019\u101c\u1014\u102e\u101a\u102c\u101c\u100a\u103a\u1038 \u1017\u102e\u1007\u102c\u1005\u100a\u103a\u1038\u1000\u1019\u103a\u1038\u1001\u103b\u102d\u102f\u1038\u1016\u1031\u102c\u1000\u103a \u101c\u102d\u1019\u103a\u101c\u100a\u103a\u1001\u1032\u1037\u1010\u102c\u1010\u103d\u1031 \u101b\u103e\u102d\u1014\u1031\u101c\u102d\u102f\u1037 \u101e\u1030\u1037\u1019\u102d\u1014\u103a\u1038\u1019\u1000\u102d\u102f\u101c\u100a\u103a\u1038 \u1015\u103c\u1014\u103a\u1015\u102d\u102f\u1037\u101c\u102d\u102f\u1037\u101b\u1010\u101a\u103a\u104b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u1011\u101b\u1019\u1037\u103a\u1019\u102d\u1014\u103a\u1038\u1019 \u1019\u101c\u102c\u1014\u102e\u101a\u102c\u1014\u1032\u1037\u101b\u1010\u1032\u1037\u1001\u101c\u1031\u1038 \u1018\u102d\u102f\u1004\u103a\u101b\u103d\u1014\u103a\u1000\u102d\u102f\u101c\u100a\u103a\u1038 <a><\/a>\u1015\u103c\u1014\u103a\u1015\u102d\u102f\u1037\u101c\u102d\u102f\u1037\u101b\u1014\u1031\u1010\u101a\u103a\u104b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u1011\u101b\u1019\u1037\u103a\u1000\u102d\u102f\u1021\u101e\u100a\u103a\u1038\u1021\u101e\u1014\u103a \u1011\u1031\u102c\u1000\u103a\u1001\u1036\u1001\u1032\u1037\u1000\u103c\u1010\u1032\u1037 \u1019\u103d\u1010\u103a\u1005\u101c\u1004\u103a\u1019\u102f\u1014\u103a\u1038\u101e\u1030\u1010\u103d\u1031\u1014\u1032\u1037 \u101c\u1000\u103a\u1010\u102e\u1014\u102d\u102f\u1010\u103d\u1031 \u101b\u1004\u103a\u1000\u103d\u1032\u1001\u1014\u103a\u1038\u1016\u103c\u1005\u103a\u101e\u103d\u102c\u1038\u1015\u103c\u102e\u104b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u101e\u102d\u102f\u1037\u101e\u1031\u102c\u103a \u1005\u102d\u1010\u103a\u1019\u1000\u1031\u102c\u1004\u103a\u1038\u1015\u102b\u1018\u1030\u1038\u104b<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"960\" height=\"812\" src=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-14.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1486\" srcset=\"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-14.png 960w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-14-300x254.png 300w, https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/image-14-768x650.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Photo credit: Donald Trump shakes now Vice-President Mike Pence&#8217;s hands as his sons Eric, daughter-in-law Lara Yunaska, daughter Ivanka, Ivanka&#8217;s husband Jarred Kushner, son Donald jnr and wife Vanessa, and daughter Tiffany look on during the campaign.Credit:AP\/File When (former) U.S. President Donald J. Trump recently claimed that immigrants were \u201cpoisoning the blood of our country,\u201d [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1481,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,7,6,16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1480","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-anti-racism","category-articles","category-history","category-opinion"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1480","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1480"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1480\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1487,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1480\/revisions\/1487"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1481"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1480"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1480"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myanmarmuslim.news\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1480"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}