Former chief speechwriter for President George W. Bush, Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen, addressed a report from the Trump administration claiming that more than 350,000 undocumented immigrants have been “removed” from the United States so far this year.
Thiessen said: “One thing we need to remember is that immigrants are a good thing for our country. Donald Trump is a first generation American. His father came during the Gold Rush to Alaska, his mother was a Scottish maid.”
Thiessen recalled watching Trump visit Windsor Castle and said: “That’s what’s great about America, the son of a Scottish maid comes to America and becomes President of the United States.”
A few inaccuracies here…
Thiessen: Donald Trump is a first generation American. His father came during the gold rush… That’s what’s great about America. The son of a Scottish maid comes to America and becomes president. pic.twitter.com/EciMNxuxEa
— Acyn (@Acyn) July 25, 2026
Many Trump critics were quick to point out the inaccuracies of Thiessen’s claim. Donald Trump’s father, Fred Trump, was born in the United States in 1905.
Some commenters pointed out that Thiessen may have conflated Trump’s father’s journey with the story of President Trump’s grandfather, German-born Frederick Trump, who made his fortune during the Klondike Gold Rush, reportedly by running a restaurant for miners.]
[NOTE: President Trump’s mother Mary Anne MacLeod Trump did emigrate from Scotland to the U.S. in 1930, and became a naturalized citizen in 1942.]