The life of Mary Anne MacLeod: Donald Trump’s immigrant mother who started with $50 in the US
Donald Trump’s mother, arrived in the U.S. with only $50, working as a maid. Her journey contrasts sharply with her son’s immigration policies, shedding light on the complexities of the American immigrant experience.
Mary Anne MacLeod, the mother of Donald Trump, had a remarkable journey from her humble beginnings in Scotland to becoming the matriarch of one of America's most famous families. Born in the Hebrides, Scotland, in 1912, Mary Anne arrived in the United States in 1930 at the age of 18 with just $50 in her pocket. Starting as a domestic worker, she worked hard to build a life for herself before marrying Fred Trump, a wealthy real estate developer. Their union produced five children, including Donald Trump, who would later become the 45th President of the United States.
Her story as an immigrant contrasts sharply with her son's later policies on immigration, highlighting the American Dream narrative in a deeply personal way.
Who was Mary Anne MacLeod, Donald Trump's immigrant mother
Mary Anne MacLeod came from a small village in the Hebrides, where she was born into a modest family. In 1930, at just 18 years old, she left Scotland and sailed across the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. Like many immigrants, she faced a difficult start, but her journey was fueled by the hope of building a better life.
Upon arriving in the U.S., she worked as a domestic servant in New York City, cleaning homes to support herself. With just $50 to her name, Mary Anne embodied the classic immigrant spirit—resilient, hardworking, and determined to make a success of her life in a foreign land.
Records show that her final destination was her sister's house in Astoria, Queens, and she intended to stay in the country indefinitely. In customs documents, MacLeod was listed as a "domestic worker," suggesting that she worked in domestic service, a common occupation for immigrants at that time.
After living in New York for four years, MacLeod briefly returned to Scotland in June 1934. However, she returned to the United States in September of the same year aboard the ship Cameronia, securing her permanent residency. To facilitate her re-entry, she applied for a re-entry permit before traveling to her homeland.
Mary Anne MacLeod's journey from a small village in Scotland to the heart of American success is a profound narrative of perseverance, success. Photo: El Mundo.
In 1942, Mary Anne MacLeod became a U.S. citizen, solidifying her stay in the country and starting a family with Fred Trump, a successful real estate businessman and the son of German immigrants. The couple had five children, including Donald Trump.
Her story is often seen as a representation of the immigrant experience in the U.S., where hard work and perseverance are often key to upward mobility.
Why Mary Anne MacLeod immigrated to the United States?
Mary Anne MacLeod was born in Tong, a small village on the Isle of Lewis in northern Scotland. Her family, which consisted of nine siblings, faced economic hardships and limited job opportunities. According to Michael D'Antonio, author of Never Enough: Donald Trump and the Pursuit of Success, MacLeod decided to immigrate to the United States due to poverty and the lack of prospects in her hometown.
"After World War I, the situation in her village was bleak. Many women chose to emigrate because there were not enough men to marry," D'Antonio explained in an interview with BBC Mundo.
Despite the economic challenges, MacLeod was able to travel in second class, indicating that she had some financial resources to help her settle in the United States.
The contradiction with her son’s immigration policies
While Mary Anne's story is one of hope and success through immigration, Donald Trump’s presidency was marked by a strong focus on immigration restrictions. Under his leadership, policies were implemented that aimed to reduce the number of immigrants entering the U.S., such as the travel ban and efforts to end DACA.
This stark contrast between Mary Anne’s immigrant experience and her son’s policies highlights a complex irony. Donald Trump’s own mother, who immigrated to the U.S. and became an integral part of the American dream, did not have the same opportunities under his administration’s vision for the future of U.S. immigration.