Donald Trump, the Republican nominee for president, has been vocal in his criticism of undocumented immigrants, often depicting them as a threat to American society, particularly focusing on immigrants of color and using inflammatory language to emphasize his views.
In early October 2024, he escalated his rhetoric by suggesting that immigrants possess “faulty genes.” He made unsubstantiated claims, stating, “Many of them murdered far more than one person, and now they are living happily in the United States. I believe that murderers have it in their genes. We have a lot of bad genes in our country right now.”
This isn’t the first instance where Trump has referenced eugenics—a deceptive and racist theory suggesting that certain individuals, or even races, are genetically superior to others.
Back in 1988, during an interview with Oprah Winfrey, Trump remarked, “You have to be born lucky, in the sense that you have the right genes.”
In 2016, he attributed his success to his German heritage, stating: “I always said that winning is somewhat, maybe, innate. Maybe you just have it; the winning gene. I’m proud of my German blood; there’s no question about it. Great stuff.”
In 2020, he echoed the belief that lineage can confer intelligence: “I had an uncle who went to MIT who is a top professor. Dr. John Trump. A genius. It’s in my blood. I’m smart.”
Trump’s frequent comments that suggest a hierarchy of races have sparked comparisons to Nazi ideology, which emphasized racial superiority.
The Nazis were notorious for their belief in the superiority of white, blue-eyed, blonde individuals, advocating for a racially pure society through selective breeding. However, these ideas did not originate with them; they borrowed heavily from American eugenicists and integrated many American eugenics principles into their own racist policies.
The Origins of Eugenics
The concept of eugenics was first proposed by British scientist Francis Galton, who was a cousin of Charles Darwin, in the 1860s. It gained traction in both the U.S. and Britain during that era.
Eugenicists propagated the idea that racial identity, particularly white identity, was the most desirable one.
By the early 1900s, much of the American eugenic discourse viewed immigrants from anywhere other than Scandinavia with disdain, coining the term “Nordicism.”
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, immigration to the U.S. reached unprecedented levels. By 1890, immigrants constituted about 14.8% of the U.S. population. Public anxiety over immigration was palpable, and several prominent eugenicists emerged during this time, including Madison Grant and Lothrop Stoddard.
Both were openly white supremacists advocating for a scientific approach to racism. Their widely circulated works helped shape immigration policies in both America and Germany during the 1920s and 1930s.
Grant, Stoddard, and their contemporaries embraced eugenics to justify racial segregation, restrict immigration, enforce sterilization, and maintain various forms of systemic inequality.
In his 1920 book, “The Rising Tide of Color: The Threat Against White World-Supremacy,” Stoddard criticized U.S. immigration policies, claiming, “If we do not change course, we whites are ultimately doomed. … We now understand that men are not, and will never be equal. Environment and education can only enhance what heredity provides.”
Another notable eugenicist was Harry H. Laughlin, an educator and the head of the now-defunct Eugenics Record Office, which collected biological and social data regarding the American populace.
In 1922, Laughlin published a deeply influential book titled “Eugenical Sterilization in the United States,” which offered models for sterilization laws that the Nazi regime adopted when implementing their policies in Germany during the height of their reign.
He frequently testified before Congress, emphasizing that immigration was fundamentally a racial and biological issue. His 1922 testimony exemplified this perspective: “Immigration is primarily a long-term national investment in our human ‘family stocks.’”
Eugenicists like Laughlin were particularly fixated on Norwegian genetics—believing that America faced threats whenever immigration occurred from non-Nordic nations.
In 1922, Laughlin remarked that “Some of our finest and most desirable immigrants are from Norway.”
The 1924 Immigration Act established strict quotas based on nationality and effectively prohibited immigration from Asia.
It wasn’t until after World War II and the Holocaust that eugenics began to decline in influence in American society.
Trump’s Echoes of the Past
The fear that foreign immigrants may weaken American society was widespread a century ago, and Trump, along with many of his supporters, still clings to these notions.
Trump has promised mass deportations of undocumented immigrants, stating he would detain immigrants forcefully and remove up to one million people annually.
In April 2024, Trump employed dehumanizing terminology when discussing immigrants, dismissing their humanity by stating, “The Democrats say, ‘Please don’t call them animals. They’re humans.’ I disagreed, stating, ‘No, they’re not humans, they’re animals.’”
Moreover, Trump has echoed eugenicists’ viewpoints on Scandinavian superiority.
In 2018, he made controversial remarks about immigrants from Haiti, El Salvador, and Africa, questioning, “Why are we having all these people from shithole countries come here?”
He later suggested that the U.S. should instead attract more individuals from countries like Norway.
In April 2024, he reiterated his preference for immigrants from “nice countries, like Denmark or Switzerland.”
A Troubling Rewind
It might seem more fitting for a presidential candidate from 1924 to espouse these now-debunked beliefs than one in 2024.
President Calvin Coolidge campaigned on an “America First” platform in 1924, a slogan that gained notoriety as it was adopted by groups like the Ku Klux Klan.
Historically, the term “America First” signified nationalist sentiment but was also associated with anti-immigration and fascist movements.
After signing the restrictive 1924 Immigration Act, Coolidge proclaimed, “America must remain American.”
Fast forward a century, and Trump evokes similar sentiments; during his rallies, he frequently recites lyrics from a song called “The Snake” to illustrate what he perceives as the risks associated with welcoming immigrants into the U.S. Although originally penned by civil rights activist Oscar Brown in 1963, Trump’s interpretation of the poem has been challenged by Brown’s family.
‘I saved you,’ cried that woman.
‘And you’ve bit me even, why’
‘You know your bite is poisonous and now I’m going to die.’
‘Oh shut up, silly woman,’ said the reptile with a grin,
‘You knew damn well I was a snake before you took me in.’