German Chancellor gifts US President Trump his grandfather’s birth certificate, here's why

US President Donald Trump was gifted his grandfather's birth certificate by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a bilateral meeting between the two leaders in the Oval Office on Thursday (June 5). Merz presented US President Trump with a gold-framed copy of the historic birth certificate of the president's grandfather, Friedrich.

Handing over the gift to Trump, Merz explained in English that Trump's grandfather was born near the town of Bad Dürkheim. Trump commented on the name of the place and jokingly said, "That's serious German."

The US president expressed his delight with the gift, saying, "Fantastic!" Glancing around the Oval Office, he promised that he would hang the gift somewhere sparking laughter among those present. The document was enclosed in a gold frame, a nod to Trump’s signature colour, often featured in his White House office decor.

In a video posted on X, Merz explained that the Foreign Ministry had prepared the gift, which included an English translation. "Truly sensational!" he added in German.

More about Firedrich Trump, US President's grandfather

Firedrich Trump wasborn in 1869 in Kallstadt in the Palatinate region. In 1885 he emigrated to America,- reportedly to avoid mandatory military service and settled in New York, which at the time was seeing a large influx of German immigrants. The birth of Trump's grandfather was certified by Bavarian authorities, because the Palatinate region was part of the Kingdom of Bavaria at the time, as per reports. He later returned to Germany in 1901, but was expelled and returned to the US with his wife, Elisabeth Christ. Friedrich Trump died in 1918 during the Spanish Flu pandemic.