Profile picture
Kevin M. Kruse @KevinMKruse
, 8 tweets, 3 min read Read on Twitter
No, he didn’t. This is completely wrong.
As I noted in this thread, the awards — arranged by a real estate developer friend of Trump’s — were awarded to eighty different individuals from diverse backgrounds for their success in their own fields, not for their work promoting diversity.
The record is crystal clear — Trump was chosen for his success as a real estate developer of German-American heritage. Period.
In the end, the Ellis Island award provides about as much “proof” that Trump isn’t racist as the Playboy cover he was on.
So I went back to look up more coverage.

This article from the Detroit Free Press (10/28/86) captures the mood well -- this was a PR stunt meant to placate critics from various ethnic groups who felt slighted by the original awards.

And the quote from Joe DiMaggio? Perfect.
Another piece, from the Hartford Courant (10/27/86) again makes it clear that these awards were meant to honor the achievements of "immigrants or descendants of immigrants."

Trump was honored for being a descendant of German immigrants. That's it.
But here's a great new detail:

One of the Ellis Island honorees originally picked along with Trump was James Tamer … who was soon discovered to be a convicted bank robber who'd been placed in the Nevada "Black Book" of criminals banned from the state's gambling industry.
So again ... no, this award isn't a sign that Trump was seen as a saint.

One of the other recipients was such a crook that he was banned from working in the gambling industry in Las Vegas. (Another was Anita Bryant, who famously called gays "human garbage.")
Missing some Tweet in this thread?
You can try to force a refresh.

Like this thread? Get email updates or save it to PDF!

Subscribe to Kevin M. Kruse
Profile picture

Get real-time email alerts when new unrolls are available from this author!

This content may be removed anytime!

Twitter may remove this content at anytime, convert it as a PDF, save and print for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video

1) Follow Thread Reader App on Twitter so you can easily mention us!

2) Go to a Twitter thread (series of Tweets by the same owner) and mention us with a keyword "unroll" @threadreaderapp unroll

You can practice here first or read more on our help page!

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just three indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member and get exclusive features!

Premium member ($3.00/month or $30.00/year)

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!