Back Story… Trump’s Grandfather

Trump family fortune… Booze and sex.

Trump’s niece just came out with her book about her uncle and she also came out as a lesbian and offers some insight in Trump’s hate of LGBTQ+ people.

Mary L. Trump on Growing Up Gay in an 'Anti-Everything' Family

In our digital cover story, the president's niece discusses her family's intolerance and questions why any LGBTQ+ person would support her uncle.

The Advocate

By John Casey

July 27 2020

Mary L. Trump — and there’s a reason that the “L” is in there — has lived a very quiet existence for most of her life, but not behind the scenes. As a member of the Trump family, she saw and endured a lot. Most of it not good, and in some ways, what she saw and experienced has made her who she is today. And, that’s how I arrived at thinking that Mary L. Trump was pretty normal. That’s saying a lot for someone with the last name of Trump.

[…]

When her book, Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, came out, I was surprised to learn that she is gay. I think most of us were, and that’s mainly because most of us probably had no idea who she was. When I Googled “Mary Trump,” her grandmother’s name popped up, so it took a second try to find the younger Mary.

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What I wanted to hear about from Mary was her experience as a member of the LGBTQ+ community, which is something she rarely talks about. And that’s because like most of us, Mary has gone quietly about her way, living her life not as a gilded Trump, but as a suburban mom. Mary is not a firebrand, so I doubt we’ll see her on a gay Pride float. Which I’m sure is probably fine with Mary. She’s popped her head out to warn us all about her uncle, and once he is done, finished and finally gone — and we all hope soon — I suspect that Mary will feel that she has done her job, and go back to her discreet life. Or quietly help us all pick up the pieces.

In the article she talks about her homophobic grandfather…

In your book, you write that your grandmother said, “It was a disgrace they’re letting that little faggot Elton John sing at [Princess Diana’s] service,” and that kept you from coming out. How did that comment make you feel?

It made me feel awful, mainly because I loved Elton John. I thought it was disgraceful given the context. The man lost someone he deeply loved in a tragic way, and he thought it was best to honor Diana by singing a tribute to her publicly. 

The comment by my grandmother was so mean and small. It was not a good moment. As usual, I just ignored it and went on my way, but I knew then that I couldn’t tell anyone I was gay.

[…]

What was it like with the family? Was there just an absurd amount of toxic masculinity where white, straight rich men had the final say?

Everyone in my family was misogynist and there was a clear double standard. But thinking back, I never saw it as toxic masculinity because the only two men that mattered in my family were Donald and my grandfather. So, there was a much bigger issue, and that was this toxic positivity that my grandfather pushed on so hard.

So what about her grandfather?

According to Wikipedia (yes I know the repetition of it)…

Before leaving Seattle, Trump bought 40 acres (16 ha) in the Pine Lake Plateau, twelve miles (19 km) east of the city, for $200, which was the first major real estate purchase of the Trump family. In Monte Cristo, Trump chose a plot of land near the later train station that he wanted to build a hotel on, but could not afford the $1,000-per-acre fee to purchase it. Instead, he filed a Gold placer claim on the land, which allowed him to claim exclusive mineral rights to the land without having to pay for it, even though the land had already been claimed by Everett resident Nicholas Rudebeck. At that time, the U.S. Land Office was known to be corrupt and frequently allowed such multiple claims. Despite the placer's claim providing Trump no right to build any structure on the land, he quickly bought lumber to build a new boarding house and operate it similarly to the Dairy Restaurant. He never tried to mine gold on the land. Blair described Trump as "mining the miners" since they needed a place to sleep at night while they were mining. In July 1894, Rudebeck filed to incorporate the land and sent an agent to collect rent; this was apparently unsuccessful since the people of Monte Cristo did not pay attention to legal titles. Trump finally bought the land in December 1894. While in Monte Cristo, Trump was elected in 1896 as justice of the peace by a 32-to-5 margin.

So Trump grandfather was a con artist and when gold was discovered in the Klondike off he went. 

I dug out an article from the Canadian CBC…

Donald Trump's grandfather ran Canadian brothel during gold rush, author says

Social Sharing

Friedrich Trump amassed 'substantial nest-egg' from Yukon hotel before heading to New York

The Canadian Press

By Alexander Panetta 

September 19, 2015

Canadians amused by the improbable presidential run of Donald Trump might be surprised to learn the role their own country played in shaping his story.

Trump's grandfather started the family fortune in an adventure that involved the Klondike gold rush, the Mounties, prostitution and twists of fate that pushed him to New York City.

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The move to Canada spared him financial disaster. He not only sold off two Seattle eateries, but also land in nearby Monte Cristo, Wash. — right before floods and avalanches destroyed the nearby railroad and development plans for the town were scrapped.

He realized that there was money in supplying vices to the miners, through out the articles that I read a common theme kept popping up… “Mining the Miners.” 

'Liquor and sex'

In his three years in Canada, Trump opened the Arctic Restaurant and Hotel in two locations with a partner — first on Bennett Lake in northern B.C., and then moving it to Whitehorse, Yukon.

Their two-storey wood-framed establishment gained a reputation as the finest eatery in the area, Blair said — offering salmon, duck, caribou, and oysters.

It offered more than food.

"The bulk of the cash flow came from the sale of liquor and sex," Blair wrote. She cited newspaper ads referring obliquely to prostitution — mentioning private suites for ladies, and scales in the rooms so patrons could weigh gold if they preferred to pay for services that way.

[…]

The Mounties announced plans to banish prostitution, and curb gambling and liquor. Trump quarrelled with his partner. Gold strikes were getting scarcer.

It was time to pack up and move on.

Mary L. Trump story continues,

What do you think about gay people who support your uncle?

I never understood something like the Log Cabin Republicans, but I think it’s just a broader issue. There is a significant minority of people in this country who are comfortable voting against their own self-interest, whether it’s their sexuality, race, or economic status. It’s really astonishing. 

[…]

I have to ask this question, because it was such a big deal. But what did you think about Caitlyn Jenner supporting your uncle? Was it wealth and taxes?

I thought her transition was amazing and brave. Then I heard her endorsement, and I put her in the category of people who are completely willing to vote against their own self-interest. She seems like a wealthy person, and wealthy people seem to do better — not sure that’s true — by voting for Republicans. 

When someone is that privileged they are protected in some ways, which goes against anyone else who might not be wealthy or a member of a minority. Wealth is the greatest divider.