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Trump’s Father arrested at this Klan rally in Queens, NY on this day in 1927

Trump’s Father arrested at this Klan rally in Queens, NY on this day in 1927
Image via r/pics

A photo of Fred Trump, father of Donald Trump, being arrested at a Ku Klux Klan rally in Queens, New York on May 31, 1927 was posted to Reddit's r/pics. The post drew attention to historical records of Fred Trump's interactions with the Klan and subsequent legal actions against his housing practices.

The post surfaces a historical episode involving the family background of a modern political figure, prompting ongoing public discussion about personal legacy, accountability, and the persistence of racial discrimination allegations.

Key details

  • Fred Trump was arrested at a Klan rally in Queens on May 31, 1927, according to Working Class History as cited in the post.
  • In 1973, the U.S. Department of Justice sued Fred Trump for racial discrimination against Black and Puerto Rican renters under the Fair Housing Act.
  • Donald Trump spent nearly $100,000 in 1989 on advertisements pushing for the wrongful conviction of the Central Park Five.
  • The post received over 53,000 upvotes and 518 comments on Reddit.
  • The original post is a historical image of Fred Trump's arrest, shared without additional article context.

Discussion angles

  • Commenters cited the 1973 DOJ lawsuit against Fred Trump as a pattern of racial discrimination in the Trump family business.
  • Discussion included Donald Trump's 1989 campaign for execution of the Central Park Five, who were later exonerated.
  • Several comments noted that Donald Trump has never admitted wrongdoing in the Central Park Five case.
  • Some commenters connected Fred Trump's Klan arrest to broader issues of systemic racism and political family history.

Top comments

Top comments predominantly cited historical allegations of racial discrimination by Fred and Donald Trump, with the most upvoted response focusing on the 1973 Fair Housing Act lawsuit and another highlighting Trump's role in the Central Park Five case.

He was also sued by the U.S. Department of Justice in 1973 for violating the Fair Housing Act for racial discrimination against Black and Puerto Rican renters.
u/SameStand9266 · 4,639 score
Trump also spent almost $100,000 in 1989 (worth $230,000 today) on ads trying to get the central park 5 wrongfully convicted. Edit to shout out the fact that trumps old "spiritual adviser" was convicted of child sex abuse last year and only served 6 months.
u/THExDANKxKNIGHT · 2,398 score
u/Prudent_Shake_8149 · 1,405 score
From Working Class History: On this day, 31 May 1927, Fred Trump, the father of US president Donald Trump, was arrested at a rally of the Ku Klux Klan in Queens, New York....
u/acn0010 · 1,112 score
And STILL refuses to admit that he got it wrong.
u/CCLF · 1,043 score