Fred Trump

Fred Trump Full Name: Frederick Christ Trump Sr. Alias: "The Henry Ford of the home-building industry". Origin: New York City, New York, United States Occupation: Property developer Skills: Wealth Goals: Avoid having to rent property to black people (failed) Maintain his riches (succeeded) Crimes: Negrophobia Building code violations Tax evasion Profiteering Corruption Xenophobia Racism Fraud Sexism Discrimination Child abuse (allegedly) Type of Villain: Racist Entrepreneur

“	I asked Fred Trump what his policy was regarding minorities and he said it was absolutely against the law to discriminate. At a later time... Fred Trump told me not to rent to blacks. He also wanted me to get rid of the blacks that were in the building by telling them cheap housing was available for them at only $500 down payment, which Trump would offer to pay himself. Trump didn't tell me where this housing was located.	„
	~ A former Trump employee's statement to the FBI.

Frederick Christ Trump Sr. (October 11, 1905 - June 25, 1999) was an American property developer and philanthropist. He was the father of future President Donald Trump. During his lifetime, Trump was guilty of multiple villainous and often illegal acts.

Villainy

Racism

According to a 1927 edition of the Long Island Daily Press, Trump was among seven alleged Ku Klux Klan supporters arrested during a protest march in Queens on Memorial Day. The march was organised in order to protest American citizens being "assaulted by Roman Catholic police of New York City". Trump was initially charged with "refusing to disperse from a parade when ordered to do so" but was later released. Another man, who was simply a bystander and not a marcher, was also discharged. According to the report, all seven arrestees (including Trump) were wearing the infamous white robes of the Klan.

During the 1970s, the New York City Commission on Human Rights received complaints that black people were being turned away by Trump's renting apartments. The commission sent test applicants to investigate and found that white people were usually offered apartments while black people were falsely told there were no vacancies. The manager of one of the buildings told the commission that Trump has instructed him not to rent to black people or people on welfare. The FBI subsequently interviewed 36 employees and found out that Trump had told them not to rent to Puerto Ricans or black people (who he called "lowlifes") and to get rid of black tenants by offering them cheaper lodgings. The Department of Justice filed a civil rights lawsuit against Trump, and he was forced to sign an agreement to allow black people to rent apartments.

Alleged child abuse

Fred Trump was described as an authoritarian parent, maintaining curfews and forbidding cursing, lipstick, and snacking between meals. At the end of his day, Trump would receive a report from Mary on the children's actions and, if necessary, decide upon disciplinary actions. He took his children to building sites to collect empty bottles to return for the deposits. The boys had paper routes, and when weather conditions were poor, their father would let them make their deliveries in a limousine.

According to his daughter Mary, Trump emotionally abused his son Fred Jr. to the point of driving him to alcoholism. While Donald, who would become company president in 1971, was told he was a king and taught to be "invulnerable", Fred Jr. was constantly mocked and derided by Fred Sr.. Mary L. Trump states that Fred Sr. "dismantled [Fred Jr.] by devaluing and degrading every aspect of his personality" and mocked him for his decision to become an airline pilot. At age 42, Fred Jr. died from complications caused by his alcoholism.

Building code violations

In 1976 a county judge in Maryland found that Trump had made multiple violations of the building code during the construction of a 504-unit property and ordered him to correct them. According to the county's housing department investigator, violations included broken windows, dilapidated gutters and missing fire extinguishers. Trump was arrested in September 1976 and released on bail.

Tax evasion

In the 1990s, both Fred Trump and his son Donald engaged in illegal tax schemes in order to provide Donald with financial help. While Donald claims to this day that his father provided him with almost no help financially, a special investigation by the New York Times found that Fred provided his son with over $413 million. Most of this money was provided in a way that allowed Trump not to pay any taxes on it. These included illegally selling shares worth millions of dollars, using a bookkeeper to purchase $3.5 million in casino chips (for which Fred Trump was fined $65,000) and lying about the value of his estates to reduce the amount of tax paid on them when they were inherited by Donald.

Profiteering

In early 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower and other federal leaders began denouncing real estate profiteers. On June 11, The New York Times included Trump on a list of 35 city builders accused of profiteering from government contracts. He and others were investigated by a U.S. Senate Banking committee for windfall gains. Trump and his partner William Tomasello were cited as examples of how profits were made by builders using the FHA. The two paid $34,200 for a piece of land which they rented to their corporation for $76,960 annually in a 99-year lease, so that if the apartment they built on it ever defaulted, the FHA would owe them $1.924 million. Trump and Tomasello evidently obtained loans for $3.5 million more than Beach Haven Apartments had cost. Trump argued that because he had not withdrawn the money, he had not literally pocketed the profits.He further argued that due to rising costs, he would have had to invest more than the 10% of the mortgage loan not provided by the FHA, and therefore suffer a loss if he built under those conditions.

In 1966, Trump was again investigated for windfall profiteering, this time by New York's State Investigation Commission. After Trump overestimated building costs sponsored by a state program, he profited $598,000 on equipment rentals in the construction of Trump Village, which was then spent on other projects. Under testimony on January 27, 1966, Trump said that he had personally done nothing wrong and praised the success of his building project. The commission called Trump "a pretty shrewd character" with a "talent for getting every ounce of profit out of his housing project", but no indictments were made. Instead, tighter administration protocols and accountability in the state's housing program were called for.

Trivia

• In the 1980s, Trump became friendly with future Israeli president Benjamin Netanyahu.
• According to Mary Trump, a clinical psychologist, her father was a high-functioning sociopath.