Guest gift in the White House: Merz gives Trump’s birth certificate of his German ancestors

Chancellor Friedrich Merz gave US President Donald Trump a copy of the historical birth certificate of his grandfather Friedrich when he visited Washington. This was born in Kallstadt in the Palatinate in 1869 and later emigrated to the United States. The CDU politician handed over Trump to the gold-framed guest gift at the beginning of the bilateral meeting in the Oval Office.

Merz explained in English that the grandfather was born near Bad Dürkheim. “That’s Serious German” (“This is serious German”), Trump commented on the place name, and repeated him. He was pleased with the gift: “Fantastic,” he said. He secured to hang it up somewhere and looked around the oval office searching, which ensured laughter.

The birth of Trump’s grandfather of Bavarian authorities was certified – the Palatinate belonged to the Kingdom of Bavaria at the time. In a video published on X, Merz said that the Federal Foreign Office had made the gift including an English translation, “with this calligraphy – really sensational”.

Merz had already said in May that he invited Trump to come to Germany on a phone call and to visit the home town of his ancestors. In the Oval Office, he did not reveal whether the president wants to accept the invitation – at least not in front of the cameras.

Trump’s grandfather grew up in Kallstadt before he went to the USA in 1885. Among other things, he worked as a hairdresser, became an American citizen in 1892 and called himself Frederick. When he wanted to settle back in Kallstadt, the authorities there refused to do so. He did not properly deregistered on his departure in 1885, it said.

Friedrich and his wife Elisabeth climbed a ship to the United States in 1905, a few months later Donald Trump’s father was born in New York. Friedrich died there in 1918. His wife Elisabeth, who was born on the opposite side of the Trump house in Kallstadt in 1880, died in 1966.

Merkel also brought a gift with reference to Kallstadt

As a “German homeland of Donald Trump”, Kallstadt has been in the focus of the 2016 presidential election in the focus of the 2016’s presidential election. The then Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) brought Trump a copper engraving from 1705 during a visit to the White House – with a card of the Palatinate on which the winegrowing location can be seen. There was no visit.

Does it come about during Trump’s second term? He would assume the task of showing the US President the “neat winegrower village” and going to church with him in which his grandparents were baptized, says Kallstadt Mayor Thomas Jorek (CDU). He does not know whether Trump wishes this at all and what it means.