German Chancellor Friedrich Merz Presents Trump His Grandfather Frederick’s Birth Certificate, Born 1869 Near Bad Dürkheim; Bessent: “CBO Scored Tariff Revenue at Minimum $2.8T Over 10 Years — Actually Puts Bill in Surplus if You Include It”; Trump on Military Recruitment: “Highest in History — Spirit, They Love Our Country Again”

German Chancellor Friedrich Merz presented President Trump with a framed copy of his grandfather Frederick’s 1869 birth certificate during a June 2025 White House meeting. Trump: “That’s serious German. Bad Dürkheim is serious German. I want to thank you very much. It’s fantastic. We’ll put it up in a place of honor.” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent addressed CBO scoring of OBBB: “I’m hearing from the CBO that there’s going to be a large deficit from the bill which we disagree with, but using the CBO scoring they came out and scored the tariff revenue. We think it’ll be the minimum of $2.8 trillion over the 10-year window, which actually puts the bill in surplus if you include the tariff revenue — which they won’t do. It gives you a tremendous surplus but we’re not allowed to use that. For some reason they say scoring. Nobody knows what scoring means. Maybe a couple of people but nobody.” Trump on Walz: “He’s a sick puppy, that poor guy feels sorry for him. They made a bad choice with him.” On foreign students: “Harvard didn’t want to give us the list. They’re going to be giving us the list now. I think they’re starting to behave actually.” On military recruitment: “We just hit the highest number in the history of our country. Highest in history of our country, recruitment, joining Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard.” Merz asked why: “Spirit. They love our country again.”

The Birth Certificate Presentation

Chancellor Merz presented Trump with a framed historical document.

“We keep hearing this is the birth certificate of Donald Trump’s grandfather born in 1869 close to Bad Dürkheim,” the context indicated.

Trump recognized the name: “His Christian name was Flidlich. That’s serious German. Serious German. Serious German. Bad Dürkheim is serious German.”

Trump expressed gratitude: “But I want to thank you very much for, first of all I want to thank you for that. My pleasure. Thank you very much.”

He continued: “It’s fantastic. We’ll put it up in a place of honor. I don’t know maybe we can, let’s see. We have to put it up there someplace.”

The Trump Grandfather History

Trump’s paternal grandfather was Friedrich Trump (later anglicized to Frederick Trump). The history:

Friedrich Trump:

Born October 14, 1869
Birthplace: Kallstadt, Kingdom of Bavaria (near Bad Dürkheim)
Died 1918
Emigrated to America in 1885 at age 16
Became Frederick Trump after immigration
Built the family’s initial American fortune

The immigration story:

Left Germany to avoid mandatory military service
Arrived at Ellis Island as teenager
Worked as barber, then hotel operator
Expanded to boarding houses
Built hotels in Seattle and Yukon
Established Trump family wealth foundation

The Kallstadt region:

Located in Rhineland-Palatinate
Famous for wine production
Also home of Heinz family (ketchup)
Small, beautiful Bavarian village
Culturally significant German location

The presentation by Chancellor Merz of this personal document was:

A diplomatic gesture acknowledging Trump’s German heritage
A personal touch beyond typical state visits
Meaningful recognition of family history
Emotional resonance that transcended politics
A connection to Trump’s European roots

The CBO Scoring Controversy

Treasury Secretary Bessent addressed CBO projections.

“I’m hearing from the CBO that there’s going to be a large deficit from the bill which we disagree with but using the CBO scoring they came out and scored the tariff revenue,” Bessent said.

He cited the specific number: “We think it’ll be the minimum of $2.8 trillion over the 10-year window.”

He delivered the conclusion: “which actually puts the bill in surplus if you include the tariff revenue which they won’t do.”

He expressed frustration: “It gives you a tremendous surplus but we’re not allowed to use that.”

He described the methodology: “For some reason they say scoring. Nobody knows what scoring means. Maybe a couple of people but nobody.”

He made the political observation: “Somebody sits in the background they say well we’re not going to allow that. They’re not allowing other things that we have that are tremendously profitable for our country.”

The Tariff Revenue Issue

The specific CBO methodology dispute:

CBO’s traditional approach:

Separates budget functions
Tariff revenue is in trade function
OBBB is in tax function
Different functions don’t combine
Each bill scored on its own function

The Bessent argument:

Tariffs are generating real revenue
Revenue funds federal government
Should be counted against deficit calculations
Excluding tariff revenue distorts fiscal picture
Policy choices deserve holistic evaluation

The specific math:

CBO projects OBBB adds to deficit
CBO also scores tariff revenue at $2.8T over 10 years
If you subtract tariff revenue from OBBB deficit
Net effect is surplus
But CBO won’t do that calculation

Why this matters:

Deficit projections affect political debate
Public understanding of fiscal reality
Congressional decisions based on deficit impact
Honest accounting for all revenues and costs
Policy evaluation requires comprehensive view

Bessent’s point was that CBO was using accounting rules that made OBBB look worse than it actually was. The administration was both:

Reducing spending through OBBB
Generating revenue through tariffs
Net effect was positive
But CBO methodology isolated each
Result: misleading public perception

The Sick Puppy

Trump pivoted briefly to Tim Walz.

“I think I would have won, Susie would say I would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway even if the governor ran, the real governor, not the governor from Minnesota who’s, I mean he’s a sick puppy, that poor guy feels sorry for him,” Trump said.

He added: “But they made a bad choice with him.”

The Walz Reference

The “sick puppy” framing targeted Tim Walz:

Walz’s political position:

Minnesota Governor
2024 Democratic VP nominee
Lost with Kamala Harris
Was widely seen as poor campaign choice
Had various gaffes and controversies

Why “sick puppy”:

Walz had made various bizarre claims
His Tiananmen Square story had proved false
His military service stories had been questioned
His policy positions had been extreme
His personal conduct had been erratic

The Shapiro comparison:

Josh Shapiro was Pennsylvania Governor
Widely considered superior choice over Walz
More moderate and mainstream
Better campaign performance track record
Would likely have been more effective

Trump’s framing was that Democrats chose poorly. Walz was a mistake that contributed to Democratic 2024 loss. Had Shapiro been chosen, Democrats might have been more competitive in Pennsylvania.

Foreign Students and Harvard

Trump addressed the Harvard situation.

“We want to have foreign students but we want them to be checked,” Trump said.

He specified the cases: “You know the case of Harvard and Columbia and others.”

He described the simple request: “All we want to do is see their list. There’s no problem with that. This is anybody outside of our country, international students.”

He explained the concern: “Because when we see some of the people that we’ve been watching, we say where do these people come from? How is that possible?”

He stated the principle: “We want to have foreign students come. We’re very honored by it but we want to see their list.”

He identified the specific institution: “Harvard didn’t want to give us the list. They’re going to be giving us the list now. I think they’re starting to behave actually if you want to know the truth.”

The Harvard Compliance Shift

Trump’s “they’re starting to behave” suggested Harvard was moving toward compliance.

The Harvard dispute:

Administration requested list of foreign students
Harvard refused to provide information
Federal funding implications
Legal pressure mounting
Political pressure increasing

The administration’s position:

Universities receive billions in federal funding
Transparency requirements exist
Security considerations require student information
Visa program requires compliance
Refusal violates federal requirements

The Harvard calculation:

Resist federal demands on principle
But face federal funding cuts
Federal funding cuts were substantial
Other universities had complied
Isolation was becoming politically costly

The likely resolution:

Harvard would ultimately provide some information
Details would be negotiated
Legal processes would take time
Administration would continue pressure
Eventually Harvard would comply or lose federal support

Trump’s “starting to behave” suggested the administration was winning. Harvard was beginning to move from absolute resistance toward negotiation. This represented institutional acknowledgment that continued resistance was untenable.

Military Recruitment Success

Trump made a striking announcement.

“We just hit the highest number in the history of our country we think but very close,” Trump said.

He specified the branches: “The highest in the history of our country, recruitment, joining the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard.”

He extended to law enforcement: “Police forces all over the country.”

Merz asked: “What did you do for that? What was the reason?”

Trump’s one-word answer: “Spirit.”

He elaborated: “They love our country again. You’re going to do the same thing.”

He extended the answer: “Spirit. We have great spirit as back in our country.”

The Recruitment Transformation

Trump’s recruitment claim was backed by data.

The Biden-era recruitment crisis:

2022: Services missed recruiting goals by tens of thousands
2023: Continued shortfalls across services
2024: Modest improvement but still below targets
Major concerns about force readiness
Unprecedented recruiting difficulties

The Trump-era recovery:

2025: Dramatic recruitment surge
All branches meeting or exceeding targets
Waiting lists for enlistment
Higher quality recruits
Strong retention improving

Why the dramatic change:

Military leaders viewed as credible
Mission focus restored
DEI and political content eliminated
Traditional military culture restored
Veterans welcomed back
Warrior ethos reinforced

”They Love Our Country Again”

Trump’s explanation was simple but substantive.

The “spirit” framing captured:

National pride returning
Cultural renewal
Optimism about direction
Willingness to serve
Belief in mission

This was opposite the Biden-era environment:

Cultural pessimism
Self-loathing narratives
DEI priorities over warrior culture
Mission drift
Military as social experiment laboratory

Under Trump, the military was being restored to:

Warfighting priority
Traditional standards
Merit-based advancement
Clear mission focus
National pride

Young Americans who might have considered military service under these conditions had responded with record enlistment numbers. The recruitment surge reflected genuine cultural shift rather than merely policy change.

Trump’s “Susie” Reference

Trump mentioned Susie Wiles: “Susie would say I would have won Pennsylvania easily anyway.”

Wiles was:

Trump’s 2024 campaign manager
First female White House Chief of Staff
Key political strategist
Source of inside political information
Trusted advisor

Her projection of Pennsylvania victory regardless of Democratic VP choice reflected:

Deep knowledge of Pennsylvania political conditions
Recognition of Trump’s strong position there
Understanding that running mate mattered less than top of ticket
Trump’s campaign’s own polling data
Confidence in outcome regardless of Democratic strategy

The Foreign Student Framework

Trump’s approach to foreign students was nuanced.

What he wanted:

Foreign students to come
Legitimate academic study
Honest participants
Rule followers
Respectful visitors

What he opposed:

Spies
Political activists from hostile countries
People with violent intentions
Those who wouldn’t respect American values
Pattern of abuse by specific universities

The specific Harvard concern:

31% foreign students was too high
Lack of transparency about backgrounds
Specific individuals causing problems
Ties to hostile foreign governments
Resistance to American requirements

The resolution framework:

Universities provide lists
Background checks conducted
Legitimate students welcomed
Problematic students excluded
Future applications screened

This was reasonable policy, not hostility to foreign students generally. The problem was specific universities and specific students, not foreign students as a category.

The Scoring Rule Problem

Bessent’s frustration with CBO scoring rules was substantive.

What CBO does:

Independent Congressional office
Provides budget projections
Uses specific methodology
Rules set by congressional committees
Applied consistently across administrations

The scoring rules:

Tariffs scored as trade policy
Tax changes scored separately
Spending changes scored separately
Each bill isolated
Combined effects not calculated

Why this creates problems:

Policy makers can’t see total effect
Voters misled about fiscal impact
Biased toward maintenance of status quo
Hurts comprehensive reform efforts
Obscures actual outcomes

The administration’s argument:

Real fiscal impact is what matters
Tariffs generate real revenue
Revenue funds real spending
Net effect is what affects deficit
Honest scoring requires comprehensive view

The counter-argument:

CBO provides neutral analysis
Rules prevent partisan manipulation
Consistent methodology over time
Protects CBO credibility
Serves specific congressional needs

The debate was legitimate on both sides. But the political consequence was that:

Republican achievements looked smaller than they were
Deficit warnings were overstated
Public was misled about fiscal reality
Reform was made more politically difficult
Media could cite misleading numbers

Key Takeaways

Chancellor Merz presents Trump framed birth certificate of grandfather Frederick (Friedrich) Trump, born 1869 near Bad Dürkheim.
Bessent: “CBO scored tariff revenue at $2.8 trillion over 10 years — actually puts OBBB in surplus if included, but they won’t do it.”
Trump on Walz: “He’s a sick puppy, that poor guy feels sorry for him. They made a bad choice with him.”
On Harvard: “They didn’t want to give us the list. They’re going to now. I think they’re starting to behave actually.”
Military recruitment: “Highest in history. Merz: ‘What was the reason?’ Trump: ‘Spirit. They love our country again.’”