46 | JUNE 4 • 2020 

Looking Back

From the William Davidson Digital Archive of Jewish Detroit History

accessible at www.djnfoundation.org

Trump’s Henry Ford Gaffe
Y

ou may have read 
about President Donald 
Trump’
s recent trip to a 
Ford Motor Company factory 
in Ypsilanti, Michigan. There, 
he gave some well-deserved 
praise for the company and its 
volunteer workers 
who made a very 
quick conversion 
from making auto 
parts to making 
sophisticated hos-
pital equipment 
that was in short 
supply when 
COVID-19 struck 
America — ventilators. 
Trump, however, also added 
a most controversial comment 
in reference to the Ford family: 
“The company, founded by a 
man named Henry Ford. Good 
bloodlines, good bloodlines. If 
you believe in that stuff, you got 
good blood.
”
Why are these remarks a big 
deal? Because they show a lack 
of historical knowledge and 
sensitivity.
The reasons for controver-
sy began when Ford bought 
the Dearborn Independent in 
1919. The Independent was 
published until 1927 when an 
abundance of lawsuits related to 
its anti-Semitism finally ended 
its publication. Ford claimed he 
had no control, or even aware-
ness, of the Independent’
s edi-

torial processes. This is hard to 
believe, since Ford was known 
for controlling all aspects of his 
businesses, but it is a notion that 
is also hard to disprove. 
Finally, Aaron Sapiro, a 
Jewish activist with Western 
farming cooperatives, brought 
the most famous case against 
Ford, which resulted in a 
Ford apology for anti-Semitic 
remarks and the closing of the 
Independent in 1927. Ironically, 
Ford commissioned Jewish law-
yer Louis Marshall to write the 
apology for him. 
During Ford’
s ownership, the 
widely read Independent became 
famous as an anti-Semitic 
newspaper. Two examples from 
its pages amply demonstrate 
this point. On May 22, 1920, 
one day and 100 years prior to 
Trump’
s visit to Michigan, the 
front page of the Independent
featured the story “The 
International Jew: The World’
s 
Problem.
” 
Two months later, on July 10, 
1920, the newspaper published 
the notorious “Protocols of the 
Elders of Zion,
” a debunked, 
forged propaganda hoax that 
promulgated the idea that 
Jews controlled world finance 
in order to control the world. 
Admired by Adolf Hitler, this 
bogus text is still promoted 
today by neo-Nazis and other 
assorted right-wing extremists. 
A search in the William 
Davidson Digital Archive of 
Jewish Detroit History demon-
strates that the Detroit Jewish 
Chronicle published reports and 
editorials about the anti-Sem-
itism of the Independent. For 

example, read three 
headlines from the 
era: from the July 
16, 1920 issue — 
“The Flivver King 
— Emperor of the 
Anti-Semites” 
(Ford was called 
the “Flivver King” in refer-
ence to the nickname for the 
famous Model T); from Oct. 15, 
1920 — “
Appearance of Ford’
s 
Anti-Semitic Pamphlets 
Draw Fire of New York 
Rabbis — Insult to Public 
Opinion”; or from Feb. 16, 
1921 — “Detroit Jews Unite 
in Hurling Challenge for 
Ford to Prove Charge [Ford 
claimed he was a victim].
”
This is a very brief 
summary of a century-old 
issue. Hopefully, it pro-
vides a bit of evidence as 
to why Trump’
s remarks 
were indeed a big deal. 
It should be empha-
sized that since Henry 
Ford II took command 
of the company in 
1945, the Ford fam-
ily have been great 
friends to Detroit’
s 
Jewish community. 
They have done 
much to atone for 
the anti-Semitism 
of the original 
Henry Ford. The bloodlines 
from Henry Ford II onward are 
indeed something the family 
can be proud of. 

Want to learn more? Go to the

DJN Foundation archives, available 

for free at www.djnfoundation.org.

Mike Smith
Alene and 
Graham Landau 
Archivist Chair

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