Woody Guthrie is well-known as the father of American folk music. His protest songs have resonated with generations of socialist and working class people across the world. But how many know that, in the 1950’s, Guthrie crossed paths with that arch-Capitalist, Fred Christ Trump, father of Donald?
It was in 1950 that Guthrie moved into Beach Haven, a group of sixteen residential buildings in Brooklyn. Fred Christ Trump owned the development and was Guthrie’s landlord for two years. But it was an uneasy relationship, if indeed such a word can be used in this context.
Fred Trump was accused of overt racism in relation to his policies on the selection of residents, with an apparent aversion to having black tenants. Woody Guthrie observed Trump’s behaviour and didn’t much care for it. He often referred in letters to his area of residency as Bitch Havens. Such was his disdain for his landlord that, in 1954, he decided to pen a song about him.
There are no professional recordings of this protest song, but Rebel Voice has selected the following version by U.S. Elevator to give you an idea of it. Given Donald Trump’s racism, Islamophobia and misogyny, it would seem that his father would be immensely proud of him. It’s nice that someone is…
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